Santiago de Cuba Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Santiago de Cuba, Cuba)

Compared with more remote destinations in Cuba, Santiago de Cuba is reasonably well set up with festivals, although if that's the focus of your visit, Havana is the place. Being a Communist country, Cuba's religious events are few, although Christmas and Easter are now being celebrated across the island, since a ban on religion was lifted some 15 years ago.

The main thrust of Cuban festivals involves either anniversaries of independence, revolutionary events or celebrations of the diverse ethnic island cultures. Of course, as with the rest of Latin America, it is all about music and dance as the lifeblood of the communities. In Santiago de Cuba, the Fiesta de San Juan in June, the Carnaval (Carnival) in July and the International Hip-Hop Festival each August all stand out in particular.

Santiago de Cuba Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Liberation Day / Triumph of the Revolution - January 1st, celebrated everywhere on the island on New Year's Day to commemorate the 1959 Communist revolution led by Fidel Castro. The riotous festivities of New Year's Eve continue as Liberation Day, giving another national holiday and a good excuse to continue partying
• Santiago de Cuba International Murals Festival - a biennial event held on even-numbered years, during which mural artists from many countries join with local young people to design and decorate exterior walls in the city with colourful and cultural murals

February

• Feria Internacional de Libro - began as a small Havana book fair and is now Cuba's premier literary event, held in all the island's provincial capitals after its annual stint in Havana. Expect book launchings and poetry readings, as well as children's and traditional craft events

March

• Festival Internacional de la Trova Pepe Sanchez - held to celebrate the life of the 19th-century composer Pepe Sanchez, the originator of Cuban Trova music. Expect a mix of voice, song and poetry in the style of the Trovadores, the island's travelling musicians. Generations of Trova musicians arrive from all over Cuba to perform their individual styles

April

• Easter Festivities - until the end of the 20th century, religion was illegal in Cuba and churches were sealed shut. Nowadays, although Christmas is the major Christian festival here, Easter festivals and parades, as well as visits to places of worship, are taking hold all over the island

May

• International Labour Day (Dia de los Trabajadores) - May 1st, a national holiday throughout Cuba
• Independence Day - celebrated all across Cuba, marking May 20th 1902, the day on which Spain conceded her rule over the island and the Cuban Republic was established. This day is not to be confused with the Communist Revolution celebrations
• Romerias de Mayo - an arts and theatre festival in Holguin, first organised in 1992 by a group of local artists and now developed into a major art and performance event attracting writers, dancers, musicians, artists and actors, who share their talents in a marathon of exhibitions and performances

June

• Festival Internacional Boleros de Oro - staged in June across Cuba, focusing on the much-loved musical and dance genre of the bolero, developed in the 19th century and world-famous ever since
• Fiesta de San Juan - June 24th, one of the city's biggest processions and street parties, not to be missed

July

• Festival del Caribe / Fiesta del Fuego - one of Cuba's best festivities (the Festival of Caribbean Culture / Fire Celebration), with music, dancing, feasting, drinking, live bands, street musicians and parades, all focusing on the city's artistic, cultural and diverse ethnic heritage, including religion
• Santiago de Cuba Carnaval - kicks off in late July and incorporates the date the Cuban revolution began, July 26th. This is the city's largest and most popular event and runs for an entire week, offering all of the activities and costumed processions associated with Carnaval. Definitely a high-point
• Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada Garrison - July 26th, major celebrations at the Moncada Barracks (Cuartel Moncada), starting on the day before and lasting three days

August

• Habana Hip-Hop - the Havana Festival Internacional de Rap is always a crown pleaser, and if you are travelling from Havana to Santiago and into hip-hop culture, don't miss it! Rap dancing, graffiti artists, films and most of Cuba's 1,000 hip-hop groups, as well as international exponents, will all be there. This event includes discussion forums on the dance form and its cultural impact on controversial issues in Cuban society

September

• Matanzas Festival of Origins - an opportunity for visitors curious about Cuba's diverse ethnic heritage. For academics, African, Chinese, Haitian, Spanish and Caribbean influences on Cuban culture are discussed during seminars - for tourists it is a large gathering with costumed parades, pulsating drum rhythms, street parties, cultural performances and lots of beer, rum and delicious food

October

• Festival Internacional de Matamoros Son - held in Santiago de Cuba to commemorate one of its most famous musical sons, Miguel Matamoros. Expect a Cuban dance contest, concerts, dance performances, workshops, soloists and bands, both national and international
• Independence Day (Dia de la Independencia) - October 10th, a national holiday throughout Cuba

November

• Santiago de Cuba International Choral Festival - late November, attracts choirs from across the continents for this six-day event, which includes contests and concerts offering choral music from European classical, modern and popular arrangements to Cuba's beautiful traditional Trova songs

December

• Christmas Eve and Day (Navidad) - December 24th / 25th, even in this Communist state, Christmas involves churchgoing for many Cubans, as well as parties and family get-togethers. Various towns and cities hold parades and concerts as well, with the usual focus on music, dancing and fireworks