What’s On Havana, listings and reviews of cultural events in Havana, updated monthly, Havana events and schedules and timetables for nightlife and cultural events

Visual Arts

	Amelia Peláez, una Mirada Retrospectiva Amelia Peláez, una Mirada Retrospectiva	Throughout March 2011
	A collection of 40 paintings and drawings which represent 40 years of the work (1926-1966) carried out by the painter, draughtswoman and ceramist Amelia Peláez, one of the founders of Cuba’s avant-garde. Influenced by Cubism, she excellently recreated themes that include stained-glass windows, Cuban fruits, tropical flowers and spaces that are quickly identified as Cuban with an outstanding use of colour.

	AntiVJ Plaza Vieja, Old Havana	17 March, 7:30 pm / 2011
	Romain Tardy, an artist from the visual show company AntiVJ, will present an audiovisual work on site, for which the façade of one of the beautiful buildings of Plaza Vieja will serve as a giant screen. His referents will be present-day European iconography and painting, as well as 20th-century Cuban graphic art.

	Fuera de Casa Palacio Lombillo	Through 15 March / 2011
	This exhibit puts forward four views of the natural beauties of the famous Viñales Valley in the western province of Pinar del Río, which has been the source of inspiration of many Cuban writers and artists. Juan Carlos Morales, Jessy Gómez, Jorge Antonio Sixto and Sandy Morales avail themselves of the valley proving that landscape painting is very much alive.

	Lo que se sabe no se pregunta Centro Hispano Americano de CulturaAméricasde Asís	Opens 4 March / 2011
	Dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the emblematic Cuban theatre company El Público, the exhibition recreates photographs, scripts, music, wardrobe, sets, lighting, documents and graphic images to create sculptures, installations, audiovisual materials, drawings and performances which validate the aesthetic and conceptual assumptions that the company defends.

	Acuarelas Palacio de Lombillo	Opens 4 March / 2011
	Watercolours by outstanding artists of Cuban art, including Pedro Pablo Oliva, Arturo Montoto, Lester Campa and José Luis Fariñas, among others.

	Las paredes también cuentan Casa de la Poesía	Opens 9 March / 2011
	Exhibition by Gonzalo Vidal of photographs taken during his travels through Europe, in which he has focused on urban spaces and in particular, graffiti, which reveals so much of the characteristics of different countries.

	Arrivals Casa Fundación Oswaldo Guayasamín	Opens 4 March / 2011
	Three young artist--Hanoi Pérez Cordero, Raúl Pérez Cordero (Ruli) and Ariel J. Verdía (Gringo)-exhibit painitngs, engravings and photographs which revolve around a recurrent topic iin Cuban art: migration.Three young artist-Hanoi Pérez Cordero, Raúl Pérez Cordero (Ruli) and Ariel J. Verdía (Gringo)-exhibit painitngs, engravings and photographs which revolve around a recurrent topic iin Cuban art: migration.

Curso “Un ceramista habla de un ceramista”

	Curso “Un ceramista habla de un ceramista” Museo Nacional de la Cerámica	Fridays, 10:00 am, March / 2011
	Lectures supported by images given by ceramists whose works are part of the permanent collection of the National Ceramics Museum. Inscriptions for the course at the Museo Nacional de la Cerámica Contemporánea, at Calle Mercaderes, esquina Amargura; by phone: 861 6130, or email: ceramica@bp.patrimonio.ohc.cu

	Dos impulsos de lo erótico Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Edificio de Arte Cubano)	Through 8 May / 2011
	An exhibition which aims to rescue the production of two Cuban artists whose work was silenced by the tense atmosphere of the 1970s in Cuba: Santiago Armada (Chago) and Umberto Peña, who used eroticism in works of a marked expressionist character in order to allude to other topics. Little recognized and undervalued even today, Peña’s 12 engravings and one pencil drawing, and Chago’s 20 ink drawings on exhibit, some of which are now part of the museum’s collection, allow the viewer toi appreciate the values of their creation.

	Colección Brownstone Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Edificio de Arte Universal) Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam	Through 10 April / 2011
	A collection of 108 19th- and 20th-century graphic works donated to Cuba by the collector and gallery owner Gilbert Brownstone. The collection includes works by Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Andy Wharol, Juan Miró, Andre Masson and Roy Lichtenstein.

	ADN Galería Villa Manuela	Throughout March / 2011
	Collective exhibition of the video which won the Domingo Ravenet 2010 Curator Prize of the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, with works by Meira & Toirac, Javier Castro, Juan Carlos Alom, Lázaro Saavedra, Duniesky Martín and Reynier Leyva Novo.

	Banca Rota. Cuarta Pragmática Antigua sede del Royal Bank of Canada	Throughout March / 2011
	As in a new chapter of his project DUPP (Desde Una Pragmática Pedagógica), the artist René Francisco, who has been recently awarded the National Visual Arts Prize, along with a group of 2nd-year art students from the Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana, have made a public intervention on the dilapidated construction that housed the former Royal Bank of Canada, placing on each of its 16 interior columns the work of each of the participants. Video, sound, performance, photography and sculptures allude at times to the former purpose of the building, while others take advantage of the visual potentials of the material or the symbolism of the traditional architectural element.

	Este circo es un sol Galería Servando Cabrera Moreno	Through 19 March / 2011
	The artist Nilda Bouzo trnasmits the emotion of a circus show in 15 medium size and large paintings.

	Intimidades públicas Fundación Ludwig de Cuba	Marzo / 2011
	Exhibition in tribute to the recently deceased art critic and theoretician Rufo Caballero with works donated by Cuban artists of different generations, such as Aisar Jalil, Agustín Bejarano, Arturo Montoto, Aziyadé Ruiz, Delarra, Esteban Leyva, Fúster, Ileana Mulet, Iris Leyva, Jesús Lara, Juan Arel Ruiz Contino, Joel Jover, Kdir López, Leo de Lázaro, Manuel López Oliva, Maykel Herrera and Roberto Fabelo.

Music

	En la Basílica Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís Oficios y Churruca, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 9683	6:00 pm / 2011
	2 March 2011, 6:00 pm Days of Irish Culture in Havana with a concert of traditional Irish songs and music by pianist Mícheál O Súilleabháin and singer Iarla O Lionaird. 5 March 2011, 6:00 pm The chamber music orchestra Música Eterna, conducted by Guido López-Gavilán, will perform works based on Latin American music. During the second part of the evening, Coro Nacional de Cuba, directed by Digna Guerra, will sing works by López-Gavilán. 12 March 2011, 6:00 pm Concert by the choir and orchestra from St. Paul University, Minnesotta, US. 19 March 2011, 6:00 pm An uncommon repertory of traditional Japanese music by Kasou Kai, an ensempble composed by Yoshiko Nishimura (koto or Japanese harp), Diego Julián Sánchez Méndez (flute), Jorge Andrés Rodríguez López (koto) and Leonardo Corona Heimendinger (piano). 26 March 2011, 6:00 pm The pianist Lisandra Rodríguez and the quintet Nueva Camerata, conducted by Hazkell Armenteros, will play works by Bach, Liszt, Hans-Georg Gorner and Heitor Villa Lobos, among other composers. 30 March 2011, 6:00 pm Guitarist Eduardo Martín and Flutist Niurka González will play works by Eduardo Martín.

	Peña del Ambia Hurón Azul, Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	9 y 23 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	The best place to go for those seeking to become acquainted with authentic African-Cuban traditions, hosted by the poet Eloy Machado, aka. El Ambia.

	La Utopía Casa de la Música de Miramar	Every Thursday, 9:00 pm, March / 2011
	The “in” place of Havana’s trova scene, La Utopía combines live performances by troubadours, impromptu performances by the audience, and videos of important domestic and international musicians of the past 50 years.

	La Tanda Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate	Every Thursday, 9:00 pm, March / 2011
	Inti Santana, a troubadour of the younger generations, in an informal get-together.

	Peña de Los Kents Café Cantante, Teatro NacionalCalle Paseo y 39, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 870 4651	Every Sunday, 4:00 pm, March / 2011
	Los Kents, another “dinosaur” of Cuban rock, play their own hits from the 60s and 70s.

	Noche de Boleros de Oro Hurón Azul, UNEAC	Every Saturday, 10:00 pm, March / 2011
	Lovers of this romantic genre par excellence have the opportunity of meeting and enjoying the performances of the best Cuban bolero singers.

	Trovando Patio-bar of the EGREM record label San Miguel 410 entre Campanario y Lealtad, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 862 0673	Every Wednesday, 4:00 pm, March / 2011
	A place where troubadours and poets get together for a unique performance in a bohemian atmosphere, combined with the launching and sale of record albums, books and magazines.

	La Trova sin Traba Hurón Azul, Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	2 & 16 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	Different generations and styles converge in a natural combination of traditional, new and very new trova.

	Peña de Pancho Amat Sede provisional del Museo Nacional de la MúsicaObrapía 509, entre Bernaza y Villegas, La Habana Vieja	17 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	The popular tres player Pancho Amat and Cabildo del Son with a sample of the most Cuban ofCuban song and dance styles, son.

	Rumba Palacio de la Rumba	Fri, Sat & Sun; opens 6:30 pm, March / 2011
	Lovers of real rumba meet Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays every week to enjoy performances by rumba musicians and dancers.

	Peña de Aceituna sin Hueso Centro Cultural Fresa y Chocolate	Every Sunday, 6:00 pm, March / 2011
	Not to miss. The popular Aceituna sin Hueso band mixes the music of the island with elements from flamenco, country, rock, Celtic, Arab, Andean or Hindu musics creating a fusion that is surprisingly very Cuban. The topics which the band expresses in their lyrics establish from the start a magnetic communication with the audiences.

Descarga de Ivette Cepeda y su Grupo Reflexión

	Descarga de Ivette Cepeda y su Grupo Reflexión Snack Bar of the Telégrafo Hotel	Every Saturday, 9:00 pm, March / 2011
	An informal meeting with the versatile contralto Ivette Cepeda, who has been much celebrated thanks to the subtleties she brings to her voice and her wide repertory of Cuban and international music.

	Oratorio San Felipe Neri	7:00 pm / 2010
	3 March 2011, 7:00 The duet D’Accord (Vicente Monterrey, clarinet and Marita Rodríguez, piano), together with clarinetist Dianelys Castillo, will play works by Carlos Guastavino, Gerald Finzzi and Max Bruch. 5 March 2011, 4:00 pm The Nuestro Tiempo chamber music orchestra, conducted by Enrique Pérez Mesa, will play the Symphony in B-flat Major (No. 5) by Schubert, and will accompany pianist Mayté Aboy in Beethoven’s Concert No. 3. 10 March 2011, 7:00 pm Lírica Intramuros will present the soprano Yilam Sartorio together with the pianist Esperanza Rodríguez, and guest singers Ramón Centeno (tenor) and Ubail Zamora (countertenor). 15 March 2011, 7:00 pm Concert by Greek soprano Elena Lydia Stamellou together with the pianist Yamilé Cruz to celebrate National Greece Day. 24 March 2011, 7:00 pm Lírica Intramuros with the soprano Yaremis Verde and the pianist Arian Pérez. 26 March 2011, 4:00 pm Performance by young talents of Cuban opera. 31 March 2011, 6:00 pm The soprano Ivette Betancourt will sing works by Richard Strauss and Jules Massenet, as well as romanzas from Spanish zarzuelas.

	Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula	7:00 pm / 2011
	4 March 2011, 7:00 pm Violinists Winnie Camila Berg and Yeny Peña, together with musicians from Camerata Romeu, , , and 15 March 2011, 7:00 pm Concert Art Ménétrier Renaissance, by the Ars Longa early Music Ensemble, directed by Teresa Paz. 25 March 2011, 7:00 pm The flute trio Sonus, directed by Axel Rodríguez, keyboard player will play works by the French composer Joseph Bodin de Johann Joachim Quantz, among others.

	Cecilia Valdés Gran Teatro de La Habana	24-26 March, 8:30 pm; 27 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	The most famous Cuban zarzuela by composer Gonzalo Roig, tells the story of the ill-fated loves between the beautiful mulatto Cecilia Valdés and (unknown to them) her white half brother Leonardo Gamboa, and its tragic end at the Loma del Angel Church. Roig’s beautiful music and the romantic plot have made this piece a paradigm if Cuban theatre.

	Espacio Cheketé Casa de África	March / 2011
	4 March, 5:00 pm: Performance by Síntesis, a pioneer in the fusion of rock an Afro-Cuban chants and rhythms. 12 March, 3:00 pm: Performance by the folkloric group Obiní Batá.

Concurso y Festival Internacional Fiesta del Tambor

	Concurso y Festival Internacional Fiesta del Tambor Mella theatre (8-9 March) Astral theatre (10-11) Salón Rosado de La Tropical (12-13)	8-13 March / 2011
	This festivity of percussion pays tribute to one of the cult figures of Cuban percussion: Guillermo Barreto, star of the Tropicana orchestra in the 1950s and founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. While young talents measure their skills during the competition, experts disclose the secrets of the complex Cuban percussion at theoretical meetings, lectures and guest speeches and the evenings are dedicated to the performances of popular national and international bands and soloists, including Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco, el Charangón de Elito Revé, Havana D’ Primera, Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor and Clímax. Special jazz performances at the Occidental Miramar Hotel.

VII Festival Internacional Danzón Habana 2011

	VII Festival Internacional Danzón Habana 2011	24-27 March / 2011
	With Las alturas de Simpson, composed by Cuban Miguel Faílde in 1879 in the city of Matanzas, the danzón became the Cuban national dance. Although not many people take much interest in this genre nowadays, surprisingly, it is more alive in other countries than in Cuba. For this reason, the 2011 Danzón Festival will pay tribute to the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Tamaulipas, and the city of Toluca. The festival will include a competition with dancers from Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, as well as the performance of famous bands, such as Aragón and la Charanga de Oro and danzón bands from Holland and the UK. Cuban musicologists, professors and researchers will lecture on the relationship danzón-identity-nation.

	Jueves de tradición ya Hurón Azul (UNEAC)	17 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	A chance to enjoy traditional Cuban sounds, including guaracha, danzón, cha-cha-cha, or campesinas, along with oral narrations, poems and improvisations.

	Peña de Vicente Feliú	10 March, 8:00 pm / 2011
	Trova and poetry at the Casa del Alba with the noted Cuban singer, guitarist and composer, and one of the originators of Cuba's Nueva Trova, Vicente Feliú, and guests.

Curso libre “Breve historia de la trova cubana”

	Curso libre “Breve historia de la trova cubana” Centro Hispano-Americano de Cultura	Every Monday, 2:00 pm, March / 2011
	Course “Brief History of Cuban Trova” organized by the musician Pavel Poveda as a series of lectures whose general topic is “Cuban trova, 100 years of existence: principal composers and singers; anthological songs; and current situation within traditional trova, filin and Nueva trova. Open to the public

Festival Internacional de la Trova Pepe Sánchez

	Festival Internacional de la Trova Pepe Sánchez Casa de la Trova and Sala de Conciertos Dolores in Santiago de Cuba	16-20 March 2011
	The International Pepe Sánchez Trova Festival began in 1962 in homage to local Santiago de Cuba composer José (Pepe) Sánchez (1856-1918), considered the father of Cuban trova (the troubador genre of voice, song and poetry that is usually accompanied by a guitar). Several generations of musicians from different musical trends within trova participate in this event, including exponents of more traditional trova, of filin (an evolution of bolero and trova), and of nueva trova (the very Cuban genre of personal commentary influenced by British, US and Brazilian popular music). Santiago de Cuba—the cradle of trova—hosts this festival which takes the city’s streets and parks by storm in a celebration where musicians and singers from abroad join their Cuban counterparts. The closing of the festival on Troubador Day, March 19th, commemorates the anniversary of the birth of Pepe Sanchez.

Theatre

	Ensayo para siete Teatro Nacional de Guiñol	22-24 March, 6:00 pm / 2011
	Espacio Teatral Aldaba reruns Ensayo para siete, a comedy by Polish playwright Boguslaw Schaeffer, directed by Carlos Pérez Peña and Irene Borges. The play uses the recourse of theatre within the theatre to make audiences meditate, laugh and dream.

	Medea de barro Plaza de Armas, Old Havana	14 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	Havana’s first plaza will become the stage for Medea de barro, D'Morón theater company’s version of the immortal Greek tragedy by Euripides, a grisly plot that revolves around, love, jealousy and revenge.

	Monseñor Bola Sala Hubert de Blanck	3-5 March 8:30 pm; 6 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	Monseñor Bola, by Cuban playwright Héctor Quintero, evokes the figure of the Cuban chansonnier and composer Ignacio Villa, popularly known as “Bola de Nieve,” through the recourse of “the theatre within the theatre”. A Latin theatre company in Washington DC decides to stage a play on Bola de Nieve, and in between mishaps on the road to production, this great figure of Cuban song is paid tribute to. The play, which successfully combines music, dance and acting, was first produced by the Washington DC-based Teatro Latino in 2010.

	Chamaco Sala Adolfo Llauradó	8-10 Marzo, 6:00 pm / 2011
	Rerun by Teatro Tumbo of playwright Abel González Melo’s successful and much awarded Chamaco, a play which was first staged by Argos Teatro, and whose director, Carlos Celdrán, has said, “I have produced Chamaco, not only because it is Cuban and deals directly with the reality in which I am interested in, but how it deals with it, how it penetrates the reality that it touches on, how it blurs its most obvious, expected and local turf, and creates an essential image behind situations and words, an image that unravels possible fragments of a painful and elusive Havana.”

Dance

	Don Quixote ya Gran Teatro de La Habana	11 & 12 8:30 pm; 13 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	Once again the Ballet Nacional de Cuba presents Don Quixote, a version based on the original choreography by Marius Petipa and the one created by Alexander Gorski, to music by Ludwig Minkus.

	La magia de la danza ya Gran Teatro de La Habana	4 & 5 March, 8:30 pm; 6 March, 5:00 pm / 2011
	The Ballet Nacional de Cuba, directed by prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso, presents The magic of dance, an anthology of important moments of choreographic art from 19th century ballet. Featured are scenes from seven classic works which are part of the Company’s repertoire: Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Don Quixote and Gottschalk Symphony.

	VI Festival Internacional de Videodanza DV Danza Habana, Movimiento y ciudad ya Casa Víctor Hugo, sala teatro Las Carolinas and Factoría Habana	28 March-3 April / 2011
	The diversity of proposals, genres and experiences that link audiovisual materials and dance is the focus of this festival, which is jointly sponsored by the City Historian’s Office and Danza Teatro Retazos. The festival includes meetings, lectures, debates, workshops, performances and exhibitions related to videodance.

Events

	Festival Internacional de Documentales Santiago Álvarez In Memoriam Movie theatres Cuba and Rialto, Santiago de Cuba	7-11 March 2011
	Created in 2000, the International Documentary Festival Santiago Álvarez In Memoriam aims at highlighting the prominent role of the documentary, a film genre that has been somewhat consigned to oblivion by the promotional mechanisms of the larger movie festivals, yet with a tradition of significant quality and acknowledgement in Cuba, among other factors, thanks to the work of the late prize-winning Cuban film-maker, Santiago Alvarez. Although the festival began as a national event dedicated to the memory of the most relevant Cuban documentary maker of all time, throughout the years it has attracted the attention of a number of filmmakers from Latin America, Europe and the United States. With films in competition, parallel screenings and theoretical discussions, the Festival constitutes a space for exchanging opinions and experiences among filmmakers and lovers of this genre. Venezuela will be the guest of honour in 2011. For more information, you can contact the Festival’s Office by calling +(53) 7 830 1548 or emailing festivalsantiagoalvarez@icaic.cu

	Arquitectura y ciudad Casa de las Tejas Verdes	4 March, 3:00 pm / 2011
	Developments of the 1970s: Alamar and San Agustín is the topic that will be discussed at this new bimonthly meeting that focuses on architecture, design and urban planning. Architects Humberto Ramírez, Néstor Garmendía, Gina Rey and Orlando Inclán will delve into a still controversial topic regarding an architecture which is described as monotonous and lacking in creativity in contrast with important examples of the 1960s.

	VIII Jornadas Técnicas de la Cátedra Gonzalo de Cárdenas de Arquitectura Vernácula Havana Historical Centre	21-24 March / 2011
	Sponsored by the City Historian’s Office of Havana and the Diego de Sagrado Foundation of Spain, the Gonzalo de Cárdenas Vernacular Architecture Department will hold its 8th Technical Meetings. The seminar will focus on the 500 years of the founding of Baracoa, the first Cuban town, and the situation in Haiti, which is facing the loss of its vernacular architecture.

A PREVIEW OF THE COMING MONTHS

Festival de música de concierto A Tempo con Caturla

Encuentro Internacional de Academias de Ballet (International Meeting of Ballet Academies)
Gran Teatro de La Habana
16 March-30 April 2011

Organized for the first time in 1993, this International Meeting of Ballet Academies has made it possible for dancers, teachers and students to become familiar with the technical and stylistic peculiarities of the Cuban School of Ballet through workshops, courses, and methodological and master lessons. Similarly, dancers and pedagogues from other countries have conveyed their experiences in a fruitful exchange with their Cuban colleagues. In addition, since 1995, an international competition for students is held in different categories (13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 years old) and four prizes are awarded: revelation, best partners, best individual performance and the Grand Prix.

Concurso y Festival Internacional Fiesta del Tambor Guillermo Barreto in Memoriam

Festival Internacional de Cine Pobre
Old Havana
4-10 April / 2011

Since 2003, the International Low-Budget Film Festival has been held in the small town of Gibara close to the eastern city of Holguín The festival guarantees a broad range of approach and topics, aspiring to become an alternative to commercial filmmaking, promoting artistic quality with production costs kept to a minimum. The organizers have announced that this year there will be no competition but a significant showing of films from several continents and technical meetings about the Seventh Art.

Festival Internacional de Danza en Paisajes Urbanos: “Habana Vieja, Ciudad en Movimiento”
Old Havana
7-11 April / 2011

This unique International Urban Dance Festival: “Old Havana, City in Motion” was first held in 1996 in two or three small museums located in Havana’s Historical Centre, eventually bringing into play most of the institutions, plazas and streets of Old Havana. Aiming to link dance choreography with the visual and expressive nature of the old city, as well as seeking to interact with passers-by, the event, organized by the Retazos Dance Company directed by dancer and choreographer Isabel Bustos, is attended by hundreds of foreign and Cuban guests.

	Premio de Composición Casa de las Américas 11-15 April / 2011
	The Composition Prize Competition is aimed at Latin American concert music composers. Recitals and concerts, plus lectures and workshops dealing with the most recent music made in the region will also be held during the event.

La Joven Estampa
Old Havana
7-11 April / 2011

Considered the only prize of its kind in Latin America, the La Joven Estampa Award brings together engravers under 35 years of age, which have been born or naturalized in the continent, and seeks to encourage young creators of this art. The event includes exhibitions of works made by the members of the jury and winners of previous competitions, lectures, workshops and theoretical discussions on engraving, from traditional techniques to the most modern forms of this art.

Festival La Huella de España
Gran Teatro de La Habana and other venues in Havana
17-24 April / 2011

Founded in 1989 by Cuba’s prima ballerina, Alicia Alonso, this festival (literally, “Spanish Imprint Festival”), while acknowledging both traditional and contemporary Spanish cultural influence on the island, is nonetheless very Cuban. Cuban and Spanish soloists, theatre companies, dance ensembles and music groups perform at the Gran Teatro de La Habana as well as in the Plaza de Armas and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza--itself an enduring testimony of previous Hispanic presence in the city.

Romerías de Mayo
Holguín city
2-8 May / 2011

Continuing a tradition that dates back to colonial times, in 1993 a group of young artists decided to organize these romerías with the arrival of Spring. This festival, which was held for the first time at the foot of the cross which Father Antonio Alegría placed on 3 May, 1790 at the top of a hill, 275 metres above sea level, is presided over by the Hacha Taína (the Taino Axe) and the Cruz de Madera (the Wooden Cross), symbols of the mixture of elements that constitute the Cuban culture. Following this spirit, every year musicians, actors, researchers, artists, writers and dancers come together to share their artistic endeavour during intense days and nights in which the diversity of their propositions is exhibited, and Cuban and foreign artists join the locals to enjoy a marathon-like programme in various parts of the city.