Calendar of Events

Cuba has a packed schedule of festivals, congresses, and carnivals, and it seems like more are being held each year. If no specific contact information for a particular event is offered below, you can contact Paradiso (tel. 7/836-4931; www.paradiso.cu/eventos.asp), the tour agency arm of the national arts and cultural organization ARTex. Paradiso organizes theme tours and escorted trips based around most of the major festivals and cultural events occurring throughout the year. You can also find pretty good information at www.cubatravel.cu and www.cult.cu (the latter is in Spanish only).

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you'll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what's happening in cities all over the world.

February

International Book Fair, Havana. This large gathering of authors, publishers, and distributors is really only of interest to those who can read in Spanish. But if you can, this is an excellent Latin American book fair. For more information, visit www.cubaliteraria.cu. Second week of February.

International Jazz Festival, Havana. This festival, which used to be held in December, is organized by none other than Chucho Valdés. The festival usually draws a handful of top international bands and soloists to share the stage and billing with a strong stable of Cuba's best jazz talents. For more information, visit www.festivaljazzplaza.icm.cu. Mid-February.

Habanos Festival, Havana. Cigar smokers won't want to miss this annual celebration of the Cuban stogie. Run by the official state cigar company, Habanos, S.A., events include lectures, factory visits, tastings, and a gala dinner with an auction of rare cigars. For more information, visit www.habanos.com. Late February.

March

International Festival of "La Trova" Pepe Sánchez, Santiago de Cuba. If you like the sounds of traditional Cuban folk music, you'll want to hit this festival. Buena Vista Social Club member Eliades Ochoa organized a recent festival. Local Santiagueros are the heart of the festival, but singers and groups come from the entire island and throughout Latin America. Mid-March.

Celebration of Classic Cars, Havana. Recognizing the appeal of its huge fleet of classic American cars, Cuba has organized a weeklong celebration of these Detroit dinosaurs. Events include lectures, mechanical workshops, and parades. Owners from other countries are encouraged to bring their wheels to Cuba, and a caravan from Havana to another colonial city is usually orchestrated. Mid-March.

April

International Percussion Festival PERCUBA, Havana. This large meeting of percussionists draws national and international scholars and players working in genres ranging from classical to fusion. Lectures, workshops, concerts, and colloquiums are all part of a dense bill. Call tel. 7/838-2270 or visit www.cult.cu for more information. Mid-April.

May

May Day parades, nationwide. If you're in Cuba on May Day, the traditional socialist celebration of Labor Day, you'll want to join (or at least watch) one of the many parades and public gatherings. The big daddy of them all takes place at the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, where more than 100,000 people usually gather to listen to the president's annual May Day speech. May 1.

June

International Festival "Boleros de Oro," Havana. You'll be crying in your mojito (Cuban highball cocktail) . . . and loving it. Theaters, clubs, and concert halls across Havana will be filled with the sweet and melancholy sounds of bolero. Concerts are also staged in Santiago and other major cities. Late June.

July

Fiesta del Fuego, Santiago de Cuba. This event features lectures, concerts, parades, and street fairs celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture. Speakers, guests, and musical groups from around the Caribbean are usually invited. For more information, visit www.casadelcaribe.cult.cu. July 3-9.

International "Old Man and the Sea" Billfish Tournament, Playas del Este, Havana. Marina Tarará is the host to this annual big-game fishing tournament. Call tel. 7/897-1462 for more information. Mid- to late July.

Carnival, Santiago de Cuba. The most "African" city in Cuba throws an excellent annual carnival. Street parties and concerts are everywhere, and the colonial city is flooded with masked revelers and long conga lines. Second half of July.

August

Carnival, Havana. Although not nearly as colorful or charismatic as Santiago's Carnival, there's still a good dose of public merriment, street parties, open-air music concerts, and the occasional parade. For more information, visit www.sancristobal.cult.cu. August 3-15.

Carnival, Matanzas. If you're looking for a good time, try to get to Matanzas during the third week of August. Although not as massive or elaborate as Carnival celebrations in Havana or Santiago, Matanzas still puts on a good party. The town has strong Afro-Cuban roots, and you'll experience this in body, flesh, food, and song throughout the week. Third week of August.

Beny Moré International Festival of Popular Music, Cienfuegos. Although he was actually born a few kilometers away in the little hamlet of Santa Isabel de las Lajas, Moré is celebrated here with a heavy schedule of concerts throughout most of the latter part of August, and sometimes into September. Late August to early September.

September

Fiesta de la Virgen del Cobre, El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba. Cuba's national saint, the Virgin of Cobre, is revered by Roman Catholics and Santeras alike. There are pilgrimages to her altar in the small town of El Cobre, and celebrations in her honor nationwide. September 8.

International Blue Marlin Tournament, Havana. The Marina Hemingway is the fitting site for this annual big-game fishing tournament. For more information, call tel. 7/204-6848 or visit www.cubanacan.cu. Late September.

October

Days of Cuban Culture, nationwide. In yet another show of Cuba's omnipresent anticolonial spirit, the period traditionally marking Christopher Columbus's stumbling upon the New World are given over to celebrations of Cuban and Afro-Cuban culture. October 10-20.

International Festival "Matamoros Son," Santiago de Cuba. The silky sounds of Cuban son fill the streets and theaters of Santiago. Organized by the reigning champion of the genre, Adalberto Alvarez, this is a great chance to hear a solid week of some wonderful music. Mid-October.

Havana International Ballet Festival, Havana. Alicia Alonso, amazingly, is still going strong as the director of the Cuban National Ballet, still one of the most highly regarded troupes on the planet. Alicia uses this cachet to stage a wonderful annual international festival in the Gran Teatro de La Habana. For more information, call tel. 7/855-3084 or visit www.balletcuba.cult.cu. Late October.

November

Havana Biennale, Havana. This is one of the premier Latin American art shows, bringing together and exhibiting a wide range of contemporary Latin American artists who work in a broad range of mediums and styles. For more information, visit www.bienalhabana.cult.cu. Occurring in even-numbered years from mid-November to mid-December.

December

International Festival of New Latin American Film, Havana. This is one of the premier film festivals in Latin America. A packed schedule of films is shown in theaters over a period of 10 days throughout Havana, but predominantly in Vedado. For more information, check out www.habanafilmfestival.com. Early December.

Las Parrandas, Remedios. This extravagant public carnival features late-night parades with ornate floats, costumed revelers, and a serious amount of fireworks. The big event occurs on December 24, but between the preparations, practice runs, and smaller imitations in neighboring towns, you'll be able to catch some of the excitement throughout most of late December. Late December.