Live Music entertainment in Cuba
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Club Mejunje
Set in the ruins of a roofless building given over to sprouting greenery, Club Mejunje is Havana-hip and more. Among the plethora of nighttime attractions here is Cuba’s only official drag show every Saturday night – a must-see! Other items on an eclectic entertainment menu include regular trova, bolero and son (Cuba’s popular music) concerts, children’s theater and disco nights. If you’ve only got one night, this is the place.
reviewed
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La Casa de la Música Centro Habana
One of Cuba’s best and most popular (check the queues) nightclubs and live-music venues; all the big names play here, from Bamboleo to Los Van Van – and you’ll pay peanuts to see them. Of the city’s two Casas de la Música, this Centro Habana version is a little edgier than its Miramar counterpart (some have complained it’s too edgy), with big salsa bands and little space. Price varies depending on the band.
reviewed
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Club Mambo
Cuba’s ’50s mambo craze lives on at this quality live music venue – arguably one of Varadero’s hippest and best. Situated next to Club Amigo Varadero in the eastern part of town, the CUC$10 entry includes all your drinks. A DJ spins when the band takes a break, but this place is all about live music. There’s a pool table if you don’t feel like dancing.
reviewed
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Patio ARTex
Art lines the walls of this shop-and-club combo that hosts live music both day and night in a quaint inner courtyard; a good bet if the Casa de la Trova is full, or too frenetic.
reviewed
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Casa de la Música
Similar to the venues in Havana, this Casa de la Música features a mix of live salsa and taped disco and is usually a cracking night out.
reviewed
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Callejón de Hamel
Aside from its funky street murals and psychedelic art shops, the main reason to come to Havana’s high temple of Afro-Cuban culture is for the frenetic rumba music that kicks off every Sunday at around noon. For aficionados, this is about as raw and hypnotic as it gets, with interlocking drum patterns and lengthy rhythmic chants powerful enough to summon up the spirit of the orishas (Santería deities). Due to a liberal sprinkling of tourists these days, some argue that the Callejón has lost much of its basic charm. Don’t believe them. This place can still deliver.
reviewed
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El Hurón Azul
If you want to rub shoulders with some socialist celebrities, hang out with the intellectuals at Hurón Azul, the social club of the Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (Uneac; Union of Cuban Writers and Artists), Cuba’s leading cultural institution. Replete with priceless snippets of Cuba’s under-the-radar cultural life, most performances take place outside in the garden. Wednesday is the Afro-Cuban rumba, Saturday is authentic Cuban boleros, and alternate Thursdays there’s jazz and trova. You’ll never pay more than CUC$5.
reviewed
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Casa de la Amistad
Housed in a beautiful rose-colored mansion on leafy Paseo, the Casa de la Amistad mixes traditional son sounds with suave Benny Moré music in a classic Italian Renaissance–style garden. Buena Vista Social Club luminary, Compay Segundo, was a regular here before his death in 2003 and there is a weekly ‘Chan Chan’ night in his honor. Other perks include a restaurant, bar, cigar shop and the house itself – an Italianite masterpiece.
reviewed
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Casa de la Música
Launched with a concert by renowned jazz pianist Chucho Valdés in 1994, this Miramar favorite is run by national Cuban recording company, Egrem, and the programs are generally a lot more authentic than the cabaret entertainment you see at the hotels. Platinum players such as NG La Banda, Los Van Van and Aldaberto Álvarez y Su Son play here regularly; you’ll rarely pay more than CUC$20. It has a more relaxed atmosphere than its Centro Habana namesake.
reviewed
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La Madriguera
Locals bill it as a ‘hidden place for open ideas, ’ while outsiders are bowled over by its musical originality and artistic innovation. Welcome to La Madriguera – home to the Hermanos Saíz organization, the youth wing of Uneac. This is where the pulse of Cuba’s young musical innovators beats the strongest. Come here for arts, crafts, spontaneity and the three Rs: reggaetón (Cuban hip-hop), rap and rumba.
reviewed
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Ruinas de Matasiete
Want to find the town’s best drinking hole? Then ask a local. Even better, ask five. Chances are they’ll all reply Ruinas de Matasiete, an engaging convertible bar housed in the ruins of a 19th-century warehouse, next to the bay. Drinks and grilled meats are served on an open-air terrace, but a better reason to come is to hear live music (from 9pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday). There’s a minimum cover charge of CUC$3.
reviewed
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Salón Rosado Benny Moré
For something completely different, check out the very caliente action at this outdoor venue. The Rosado (aka El Tropical) packs in hot, sexy Cuban youths dancing madly to Los Van Van, Pupi y Su Son Son or Habana Abierta. It’s a fierce scene and female travelers should expect aggressive come-ons. Friday to Sunday is best. Some travelers pay pesos, others dollars – more of that Cuban randomness for you.
reviewed
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Casa de la Trova
Strangely, Habana’s Casa de la Trova is a bit of a damp squib compared to other famous Casas de la Trova in Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. It’s traditionally a haven for son music of the type popularized by Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club, but the schedule here is sporadic. Check the upcoming program before turning up.
reviewed
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Café Taberna
Founded in 1772 and still glowing after a recent 21st-century makeover, this drinking and eating establishment is a great place to prop up the (impressive) bar and sink a few cocktails before dinner. The music – which gets swinging around 8pm – doffs its cap, more often than not, to one-time resident mambo king Benny Moré. Skip the food.
reviewed
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La Lluvia de Oro
It’s on Obispo and there’s always live music belting through the doorway – so it’s always crowded. But with a higher-than-average jinetero/jinetera to tourist ratio, it might not be your most intimate introduction to Havana. Small snacks are available and the musicians ‘hat’ comes round every three songs.
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Jardines de Uneac
Uneac’s a good bet in any Cuban city for its laid-back unpretentious vibe and Cienfuegos is no exception. In fact, this is quite possibly the city’s best music venue with a salubrious outdoor patio hosting Afro-Cuban peñas (musical performances), trova and top local bands such as the perennially popular Los Novos.
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Casa Fischer
This is the local ARTex patio, which cranks up at 10pm with a salsa orchestra (on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) or a folklore show (Friday). If you’re early, kill time at its art gallery (free) and chat to the staff at the on-site Paradiso office about salsa lessons and other courses.
reviewed
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Piano Bar Delirio Habanero
This suave lounge upstairs in the Teatro Nacional de Cuba hosts everything from young trovadores to smooth, improvised jazz. The deep red couches abut a wall of glass overlooking the Plaza de la Revolución, and it’s stunning at night with the Martí Memorial alluringly backlit.
reviewed
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Bar Terrazas
Cienfuegos was built with the word refinement in mind and you can recreate it here with a mojito upstairs at the Cubanacán Boutique La Unión; live music starts at 10pm. Other excellent drinking perches (especially at sunset) can be found at Club Cienfuegos and the Palacio de Valle.
reviewed
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Café Pinar
This place gets the local youth vote and is also the best place to meet other travelers. Situated on a lively stretch of Calle Gerardo Medina there are live bands at night on the open patio, and light menu items such as pasta, chicken and sandwiches to quench your appetite during the day.
reviewed
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La Casa del Escabeche
La Casa del Escabeche is a good early diversion, a tiny bar with an accompanying restaurant that somehow manages to squeeze a guitarist, singer, drummer and double bass into its packed and smoky interior. Enjoy the music from the street outside as it drifts through the wooden grilles.
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Feria Ganado
Located in Parque Julio 26 where Vicente García bends into Av 1 de Mayo, it kicks off every weekend with a market, music, food stalls, kids’ activities and, if you’re lucky, a full-scale rodeo (you’ll see the large permanent arena as you walk in).
reviewed
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Taberna La Cancháchara
This place is famous for its eponymous house cocktail made from rum, honey, lemon and water. Local musicians regularly drop by for off-the-cuff jam sessions and it’s not unusual for the Cancháchara-inebriated crowd to break into spontaneous dancing.
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Café París
Jump into the mix by grabbing one of the rough-hewn tables at this Habana Vieja standby, known for its live music and gregarious atmosphere. On good nights, the rum flows, talented musicians jam and spontaneous dancing and singing erupt from the crowd.
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Bar-Club Imágenes
This upscale piano bar attracts something of an older crowd with its regular diet of boleros (ballads) and trova, though there are sometimes comedy shows; check the schedule posted outside. Affordable meals are available (minimum CUC$5).
reviewed
