Artex Unveils List of Cultural Events in Cuba for 2017
Cultural events are defined as activities that foster artistic creation, spreading and knowing beliefs, traditions and cultural expressions of a country, thus contributing to strengthen the cultural identity of people and communities.
Cuba annually holds different cultural events -fairs, workshops, and festivals- meetings between creators and their target publics, which allow visitors to get into touch with the huge wealth of Cuban culture.
Know Cuba through its Culture is the main premise of Paradiso, a cultural tourism agency manage by Cuban holding Artex S.A. Promociones Artísticas y Literarias, which is the official inbound agency for the utmost cultural events taking place on the largest island of the Caribbean.
The main events proposed by Paradiso in 2017 are:
26th Havana International Book Fair, Feb. 9-19. Canada will be the guest country this year, within the framework of the celebration for the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. This country’s diversity and cultural heritage will be shown to the attendees, as a symbol of the long-lasting friendship between Cuba and Canada.
2nd International Salsa Festival, Feb. 20-27, at Havana’s Metropolitan Park. After the undeniable success of its first edition, the Festival returns with much-anticipated performances by world-class bands, artists, DJs and dance professors. Concerts are scheduled to be given by the best representatives of popular dance music and the parade is going to include some of the most prestigious bands from the Cuban capital. Despite its recent creation, this event has gained momentum among enthusiasts of the genre around the world.
16th “Drum Fiesta” Guillermo Barreto in Memoriam International Festival, March 7-12, to take place in Havana, with the presence of outstanding national and international musicians and percussionists. Cuba’s main popular dance music bands are going to join dance companies, as well as jazz and folklore groups. The program also includes Master Classes on Percussion and Dance, and two International Contests: the Percussion one is open to all ages and the public, and the Casino Dance contest has an international scope (+15 years old).
23rd International Meeting of Ballet Academies and 15th Contest for Young Dancers, April 8-19, Havana. The magic of dance movements meets academic experiences to be shared during the event, and the 15th Contest for Young Dancers is usually attended by specialists, professors, students and dancers from all continents, in order to foster, boost and develop the study of ballet. The program of activities includes maters classes, repertoire workshops, Classic Duo, Technique, Folkloric Dances and Kinesiology applied to dance, as well as lectures on the development and outlook of Ballet teaching.
24th International Mayflower Festival, May 2-8, Holguin. A meeting for different generations of artists, intellectuals and cultural promoters from dozens of countries. Festivities that go deep into national and foreign traditions in a bid to take them to the future. These fiestas turn Holguin into the capital of young art. The province’s spaces host concerts and meetings that stand out as moments for social reflection and cultural enjoyment. This edition of the festival is set to tackle different matters related to regional cultures, generational meetings, young art, tradition and modernity.
Cubadisco 2017 International Fair, May 14-21, Havana. Since its creation, by means of colloquiums and symposiums, the fair has created spaces for theoreticians, creators and executives from the music realm to reflect and debate on matters related to musical creation and teaching, music industry and cultural heritage. Albums and audiovisual products will be launched and the program includes specialized visits, exhibits, concerts by outstanding national and international artists and the Cubadisco awards ceremony. This year’s edition is dedicated to France.
27th Spain’s Hallmark Festival, May 28 – June 4, Havana. Movies, dance, music, visual arts, literature and theater come together in this festival through lectures and other activities, which show the presence of Spanish roots in the Cuban culture, as well as the cultural life and customs of Spain’s provinces and communities. This edition will be dedicated to the Canary Islands.
37th Caribbean Festival. Fiesta del Fuego, July 3-9, Santiago de Cuba. The history and popular culture of Bonaire will be the focus of this edition. Within the framework of the event, the attendees will enjoy such typical dances from Bonaire as Simidan and Bari. Moreover, workshops are scheduled on visual arts, narrative, music and poetry, as well as presentations on the history and culture of countries from the region, as part of the Festival’s academic spaces. So this event strengthens its position as the one that gathers the highest number of people and diversity of cultures and traditions in the Caribbean region. This space speaks of solidarity, diversity, friendship and hope in the most Caribbean Cuban city.
Varadero Baila International Festival of Salsa Dancers, July 7-11, Varadero. Organized by Paradiso, it is a special opportunity to combine dance, sun and beach. The program includes salsa workshops and lessons of Mambo, Chachachá, Rumba and Son, given by prestigious professors from Cuba’s Higher Art Institute, guests from international salsa academies and Varadero’s ABC International Academy.
17th Havana Theater Festival, Oct. 20-27. Once again the curtains go up to host Havana Theater Festival, which strengthens its position as a space for all trends related to the contemporary stage. The repertoire is made up of the most remarkable plays from the national and international theater realm, which is set to be complemented by workshops, seminars and lectures given by prestigious specialists, where the interaction among theater professionals, critics and the audience is going to play the leading role.
23rd Latin American Culture Fiesta, Oct. 24-30, Holguin. This event reaffirms the recovery and promotion of Spanish roots and antecedents in the Cuban nation. The streets and parks of Holguin will become stages for a well-assorted program of concerts, exhibits, workshops and popular fiestas, with the presence of important soloists, creators, local bands and guests from throughout Latin America. The main themes in this edition are: Cuban thinking, Regional Cultures, Environment and Sustainable Development, Genre Approach, Cultural Promotion and Policy.
12th Baila en Cuba World Meeting of Casino & Salsa Dancers and Academies. This is a much-anticipated event for enthusiasts of casino and salsa worldwide. Also organized by Artex’s Paradiso, it is scheduled to take place in Havana on Nov. 19-25, with a comprehensive program that engulfs dance lessons (different genres of Cuban music), as well as night concerts by acclaimed casino and salsa bands.
12th Edition of Fiesta a la Guantanamera, Dec. 1-4, Guantanamo. This is the main cultural event in the province, made up of scientific and theoretical activities, organized by cultural institutions. Several activities will be carried out within the framework of the event, with the aim of showing the richness of local cultural diversity, as well as the actions to protect, preserve and promote them as values of the region and nation.
FIART 2017 Craftwork International Fair, Dec. 1-17, PABEXPO fairground. This meeting offers several spaces to advertise and market craftworks created by Cuban and foreign artists, mainly from Latin America, as well as to exchange experiences between creators and the public. Expo-sales, collateral exhibits, fashion shows, workshops and theoretical meetings on the development and marketing of Visual Arts and Craftworks, these are some of the options during the fair.
39th International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema, Dec. 1-11, Havana. Described as one of the most prestigious movie festivals in Latin America, it is going to display the continent’s audiovisual production, as well as international fiction and documental products. The festival includes such contests as the New Latin American Cinema, scripts and posters, as well as exhibits of movie posters, seminars on movies and new technologies, launch of books and concerts of movie soundtracks.
Jazz Plaza Festival 2017. 33rd Edition, Dec. 14-17, Havana. With the attendance of prestigious figures, this festival has become one of the utmost events on Latin Jazz or Cuban Jazz in the world. Boldface names, representatives of the genre, show their virtuosity, talent and improvisation. The program includes concerts with Cuban and foreign musicians, performances by bands and soloists. Moreover, the list of activities includes colloquiums and debates on the history and performance of Cuban and international jazz.
Visitors will have access to a huge world of artistic creation by means of these and other events proposed by Paradiso for 2017.
They can also participate in workshops, optional activities, programs and courses given by prestigious professors, specialists and outstanding figures of Cuban culture. These offers are developed by cultural tourism agency Artex across the island. Artex also fosters the participation in postgraduate courses, trainings, master’s, PhDs and other academic services, in collaboration with the National Center of Art Schools and the Higher Art Institute.
For further information, please contact:
Paradiso, Marketing Office:
Calle 23 y P, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana. Cuba
Email: gerente_eventos@paradis.artex.cu
Tel: +53 78317444
Paradiso, Head Office
Calle 82 y 5ta Ave no 8202, Playa, Havana, Cuba
Email: contacto@paradiso.artex.cu
Tel: (+537) 2040601/2040650
Website: www.paradisonline.com
Facebook: Paradiso Promotora de Turismo Cultural
