Baracoa has an amazingly lively after-dark scene for a town so small. In fact, its nightlife ranks among the best in Cuba. Virtually all the clubs and live-music venues are conveniently located on a single street, Calle Antonio Maceo, making Baracoa throb most nights like a tiny, tropical New Orleans, with traditional Cuban and contemporary dance music and revelers spilling out into the street until the wee hours. The scene is especially buoyant on Saturday nights (El Sabado Baracoese), when Baracoans host a massive street party along Maceo. Unique to Baracoa are the enthusiastic animadores, or emcees, who introduce songs and bands and entertain audiences with florid language, poetry, and humor. Club cover charges are generally CUC$1 to CUC$3.
The first spot to stop is the local Casa de la Trova , Maceo 149, a comfortable, well-lighted place loaded with locals and featuring good bands and a gregarious emcee. If you're lucky, you'll get to hear Maravilla Yuqueña, a wonderful group, with a venerable old lead singer who should be far more famous than he is. Down the street, 485, Maceo 485, has a Trova-like covered patio and the livelier 485 Disco next door. Across the street, La Terraza is a huge open-air terrace on top of a building. It has a nightly show and full-throttle, decibel-busting music under the stars, with dancers and occasional dance contests (where, if you can shake it like the locals, you might win a fried chicken!). A more sedate spot, within shouting distance of the sound system of La Terraza, is El Patio ARTex, a cute, brightly colored cafe with red lamps and a slanted corrugated tin roof. The live music is pure Cuban son.
Finally, for a raging dance spot outside of downtown, head up the steep steps that run up beside the Hotel El Castillo to El Ranchón. This place is inconsistent, but when it goes off, it draws a lot of locals for some serious salsa dancing.
