Must see entertainment in Cuba

  • Top Choice
    Fábrica de Arte Cubano

    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…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Casa de las Tradiciones

    The most discovered 'undiscovered' spot in Santiago still retains its smoke-filled, foot-stomping, front-room feel. Hidden in the genteel Tivolí district,…

  • U
    Top Choice
    Uneac

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Callejón de Hamel Live Rumba

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Tumba Francesa Pompadour

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Casa de la Música

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso

    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…

  • S
    Top Choice
    Sala de Conciertos José White

    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…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Club Mejunje

    Urban graffiti, children's theater, LGBTQ-friendly performances, old crooners belting out boleros, tourists dancing salsa. You've heard about 'something…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Cabaret Parisién

    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…

  • U
    Top Choice
    Uneac

    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…

  • T
    Top Choice
    Teatro Comandante Eddy Suñol

    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…

  • B
    Top Choice
    Beatles Bar-Restaurant

    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…

  • T
    Top Choice
    Teatro Principal

    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…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Casa de la Trova Victorino Rodríguez

    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…

  • P
    Top Choice
    Parque 26 de Julio

    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…

  • I
    Top Choice
    Iris Jazz Club

    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…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Casa de la Trova El Guayabero

    Old guys in Panama hats croon under the rafters, and musicians in guayaberas (Caribbean dress shirts) blast on trumpets, while ancient couples in their…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Casa de la Trova

    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…

  • C
    Top Choice
    Casa de la Trova Miguel Companioni

    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…