Vedado
If only every city had a cultural venue as wide-ranging, inclusive and downright revolutionary as Havana’s unique art factory. The brainchild of Cuban…
Must-see entertainment in Caribbean
Santiago de Cuba
The most discovered 'undiscovered' spot in Santiago still retains its smoke-filled, foot-stomping, front-room feel. Hidden in the genteel Tivolí district,…
Port-au-Prince & Around
On Thursday nights, from about 11pm, crowds gather here to dance until the small hours to the Vodou rock and roots music of RAM – the hotel band. A potent…
Sancti Spíritus
There are friendly nods as you enter, handshakes offered by people you've never met, and a starry-eyed crooner on stage blowing kisses to his girlfriend(s…
Havana
Aside from its funky murals and psychedelic art shops, the main reason to come to this alleyway, Havana's high temple of Afro-Cuban culture, is the…
Guantánamo Province
One of only three Tumba Francesa societies left in Cuba, this house specializes in a unique form of Haitian-style dancing. Programs include mi tumba baile…
Trinidad
One of Trinidad's (and Cuba's) classic venues, this casa is an alfresco affair that congregates on the sweeping staircase beside the Iglesia Parroquial…
Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso
Havana
Havana's fabulously renovated 'great' theater is open again and offering up the best in Cuban dance and music. Its specialty is ballet (it's the…
Santo Domingo
Tucked away in the deep southeastern corner of the Zona Colonial, this hidden treasure is the country's first '4D' movie theater. The first three…
Matanzas
Restoration of this 1876 building abutting Hotel Velazco was completed in 2014 and every inch, flourish and cornicing of its former glory is well worth a…
Santa Clara
Urban graffiti, children's theater, LGBTQ-friendly performances, old crooners belting out boleros, tourists dancing salsa. You've heard about 'something…
Vedado
One rung down from Marianao's world-famous Tropicana, but cheaper and closer to the city center, the nightly Cabaret Parisién in the Hotel Nacional is…
Holguín
There's at least one National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists per province in Cuba, but if you visit only one, make it here. Situated in the lovingly…
Holguín
Holguín's premier theater is an art deco treat from 1939 on Parque Calixto García. It hosts both the Teatro Lírico Rodrigo Prats and the Ballet Nacional…
Varadero
A roquero’s (Cuban rock fan's) delight on the edge of Parque Josone, honoring the previously banned Beatles in a bar that evokes the decidedly un-Cuban…
Camagüey
If a show's on, go! Second only to Havana in its ballet credentials, the Camagüey Ballet Company, founded in 1971 by Fernando Alonso (ex-husband of number…
Casa de la Trova Victorino Rodríguez
Baracoa
Cuba's smallest, zaniest, wildest and most atmospheric casa de la trova (trova house) rocks nightly to the Vodou-like rhythms of changüí-son. One night…
Las Tunas
Located in the park where Vicente García bends into Av 1 de Mayo. Every weekend sees a farmers market, music, food stalls and kids' activities, but the…
Santiago de Cuba
When Santiago gets too hot, noisy and agitated, you need a dose of Iris, one of Cuba's suavest and best jazz clubs, where you can sit in a comfy booth…
Holguín
Old guys in Panama hats croon under the rafters, and musicians in guayaberas (Caribbean dress shirts) blast on trumpets, while ancient couples in their…
Trinidad
Trinidad's spirited casa retains its earthy essence despite the high package-tourist-to-Cuban ratio. Local musicians to look out for here are Semillas del…
Negril
The best spot for live reggae on Seven Mile Beach, Bourbon Beach has hosted such greats as John Holt and Gregory Isaacs; younger talent appears on…
Casa de la Trova Miguel Companioni
Sancti Spíritus
Another of Cuba's famous trova (traditional poetic singing) houses, this kicking folk-music venue in a colonial building off Plaza Honorato is on a par…
Santiago
Santiago’s Águilas baseball team is one of six in the country and the most successful in the league's history. Watching local fans root for the home side…
Tobago
Lacking any religious affiliation, Sunday School is the sly title for a street party held in Buccoo every Sunday night. Until around 10pm, partygoers are…
Fort-de-France
This superb cultural center runs an interesting program of indie films and documentaries, and hosts theatrical and musical shows in its state-of-the-art…
Bermuda
Hamilton's beloved local institution where musicians, poets, rappers and dancers took to the stage suffered enormous fire damage in July 2016. There's a…
Havana
An institution since its 1939 opening, the world-famous Tropicana was among the few bastions of Havana's Las Vegas–style nightlife to survive the…
Punta Cana & the Southeast
Estadio Tetelo Vargas on the north side of Hwy 3 in San Pedro de Macorís is home to the baseball team called the Estrellas Orientales (the Eastern Stars)…
Santo Domingo
One of the best places to experience Dominican baseball is at the home field of two of the DR’s six professional teams, Licey and Escogido. You can get…
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago's shrine to the power of traditional music is still going strong five decades on, continuing to attract big names such as Buena Vista Social Club…
Vedado
What pass for hipsters in Havana tend to congregate at this live-music venue known locally as No Se lo Digas a Nadie (Don't Tell Anyone) for the weekly…
Centro Cultural El Gran Palenque
Vedado
Founded in 1962, the high-energy Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba specializes in Afro-Cuban dancing (all of the drummers are Santería priests). See…
Santo Domingo
Every Sunday night, the 16th-century ruins of the Monasterio de San Francisco come to life for a raging dance party. Beloved band Grupo Bonyé plays a mix…
Jazz Club la Zorra y El Cuervo
Vedado
One in a duo of long-standing and highly lauded jazz clubs, the Vixen and the Crow opens its doors nightly at 10pm to long lines of committed music fiends…
Bonaire
Maybe you don't normally go to the movies when you're on vacation. But consider making an exception for this island venue, where the seating is plastic…
Vedado
This upscale joint, improbably located in a shopping mall overlooking the Malecón, is a kind of jazz supper club, with dinner tables and a decent menu. At…
Casa de la Trova Patricio Ballagas
Camagüey
An ornate entrance hall gives way to an atmospheric patio where old crooners sing and young couples chachachá. One of Cuba's best trova (traditional…
Bayamo
Six blocks northeast of the bus station, opposite Plaza de la Patria, lies one of the Oriente's most impressive theaters. Constructed in 1982, the theater…
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
Habana Vieja
Plaza de San Francisco de Asís' glorious church, which dates from 1738, has been reincarnated as a 21st-century museum and concert hall. The old nave…
