Cuba - Lonely Planet [5]
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INTERNET RESOURCES
AfroCuba Web (www.afrocubaweb.com) Everything imaginable on Cuban culture, with worldwide concert listings, dance and drum workshops, seminars and encounters in Cuba.
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk) One of the best sites for up-to-date Cuba news stories; BBC Cuba correspondent Michael Voss uncovers some classic journalistic gems. Type ‘Cuba’ into the search engine on the main page to reveal what’s on offer.
Boomers Abroad (www.boomersabroad.com) Choose the Cuba icon on the main page for links galore on everything from caving to Che Guevara.
Cubacasas.net (www.cubacasas.net) Ostensibly a Canadian website containing information, photos and contact details for casas particulares, this colorful website is one of the most comprehensive and consistently accurate sources of Cuba info on the web. There are full versions in English and French.
Granma Internacional (www.granma.cu) Official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party; news from Cuba in five languages.
LonelyPlanet.com (www.lonelyplanet.com) Summaries on traveling to Cuba, the Thorn Tree bulletin board, travel news and links to useful travel resources elsewhere on the web.
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Events Calendar
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JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
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The Cubans are never shy of holding a fiesta, and through revolution and recession the country’s social calendar has always included its fair share of cerebral and celebratory happenings. Indeed, many of Cuba’s annual get-togethers are internationally renowned cultural extravaganzas that draw in movers and shakers from around the globe.
JANUARY
Día De La Liberación
Jan 1
As well as seeing in the New Year with roast pork and a bottle of rum, Cubans celebrate the triumph of the Revolution, the anniversary of Fidel’s 1959 victory (Click here).
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FEBRUARY
FERIA INTERNACIONAL DEL LIBRO
First held in 1930, the International Book Fare is headquartered in Havana’s Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña Click here, but it later goes on the road to other cities. Highlights include book presentations, special readings and the prestigious Casa de las Américas prize.
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MARCH
FIESTA DE LA TORONJA
Famous for its citrus plantations, Isla de la Juven-tud celebrates the annual grapefruit harvest with this animated excuse for a party in Nueva Gerona where the guachi (grapefruit schnapps) flows freely.
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APRIL
FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE POBRE
Gibara’s celebration of low- and no-budget cinema (see boxed text,) has been an annual event since 2003 when it was inaugurated by Cuban film director Humberto Sales. Events include film-showing workshops and discussions on movie-making with limited resources.
BIENAL INTERNACIONAL DEL HUMOR
You can’t be serious! Cuba’s unique humor festival takes place in San Antonio de los Baños in out-of-the-way Havana province. Headquartered at the celebrated Museo del Humor, talented scribblers try to outdo each other by drawing ridiculous caricatures. Hilarious!
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MAY
Día De Los Trabajadores
May 1
Hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Cubans converge on Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución Click here on Labor Day to witness military parades and listen to impassioned annual ‘worker’s day’ speeches. It’s a fantastic spectacle, even if you’re lukewarm about the polemics.
romerías de mayo
1st week of May
This religious festival Click here takes place in the city of Holguín and culminates with a procession to the top of the city’s emblematic Loma de la Cruz, a small shrine atop a 275m hill.
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JUNE
Jornada Cucalambeana
late Jun
Cuba’s celebration of country music and the witty 10-line décimas (stanzas) that go with it takes place about 3km outside unassuming Las Tunas at Motel Cornito, the former