Events and Cultural agenda in Cuba in January

The beginning of a new year always comes loaded with hopes, expectations and new purposes, and a great agenda of events and culture in Cuba in January. Within these plans there is never a lack of trips to those wonderful places that we would like to visit. The vacation destinations that we are fondling in our minds until they are realized are many. Especially after 2020, where not a few had to cancel our vacations ...

If your postponed trip was to Cuba , or if you plan to visit Cuba for the first time in 2021, then January is the right month to take up those motivations and project them.

In Cuba the impact of the coronavirus has been softer than in many neighboring countries, and since January the first travelers began to arrive to the interior of the island -months ago the scarce tourism was concentrated in the North Cays. We hope that the arrival of tourists will gradually increase and above all we hope for an improvement of the global situation which allow travelling be a reality. However, in Cuba, as in other countries, the third wave after the Christmas festivities is beginning to be felt and more restrictive measures have been declared in several provinces, so that the events that we propose below could be affected.

Traveling to Cuba from January is a very good option. You escape the icy cold of Europe and land in a territory where the heat is never lacking and you always have a refreshing tropical cocktail for your breaks while you walk the streets of Havana , Trinidad or Cienfuegos .

Furthermore, the cultural agenda in Cuba does not rest. New cultural projects arrive with great force, art exhibitions , musical concerts , theatrical performances and other events that attract anyone with an interest in art and Cuban culture .

We hope that very soon, whatever country you come from, you can enjoy that long-awaited personalized trip to Cuba ! For this reason, from our agency specialized in organized trips to Cuba we insist on our purpose of keeping you up to date with regard to the cultural offer on the island. We give you our best selection of cultural events in January:

For lovers of photography we bring the exhibition "Aquelarre", an exhibition which brings together young cuban photographers at Centro Hispanoamericano de Cultura de la Habana.

The curator of the exhibition, Yenny Hernández Valdés, has brought together the poetics of fifteen photographers. They have taken Havana as the common thread of the event. The title of the exhibition refers precisely to that coven of proposals. All of them will allow you to compare different views around the city of Havana.

On a visual level, you will be able to see how photographers approach the Cuban architectural iconography, they propose diverse religious visions and at the same time work on different concepts such as demotivation, loneliness, worry.

Aesthetically, we find black and white images mixed with colored ones, which visually enriches the exhibition and illustrates those nuances and that picturesqueness that describes not only Havana, but the entire cuban culture.

But if you want to experience directly and feel in the shoes of a photographer touring Havana, you can check our thematic city-tour Havana for photographers, where you will visit those unique spots that only a local can show you so that you can discover and photograph the authenticity of that city.

One of the most relevant artists within the scene of visual arts in Cuba, Moisés Finalé, is featuring at Galería ARTIS 718 with an exhibition that combines part of the visuality of his creative poetics. Moisés Finalé has spent part of his life collecting African masks and this has directly influenced his work. The exhibition can also be seen online through Behart, Collaborative Network of Visual Arts.

You will be able to discover works where ocher colors prevail, a palette that leans towards the dark while captivating ones attention due to the images impact and even by the dimensions of the oil paintings. You will appreciate a mixture of experimental pictorial works together with edited photographs.

In addition, the exhibition features other invited artists, including X Alfonso and Víctor Manuel Maden Morgan. Particularly X Alfonso is a recognized cuban musician who has recently been exploring in the field of visual arts and who on this occasion joins Moisés Finalé to draw up a collaborative project called VAE series (Valdés Alfonso Equis) which consists of photographs by the first ultimately intervened (and edited) by Finalé.

If you want to discover more proposals that Havana art galleries offer, then do not miss our tour on Vedado and visual arts, in which you will be able to know how the gallery network works in Cuba, regarding both state and private ones.

Surely, in your trip to Havana you will take a tour on foot around colonial Havana so you will pass through Plaza de la Catedral, being this the ideal moment for you to visit this exhibition held at Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam.

It is a unique exhibition, where works by the Cuban creator who gives this institution its name are gathered. Wifredo Lam is one of the fundamental figures of the cuban art in all history, father of the cubism style in the Island.

The exhibition has 21 drawings on paper and cardboard made by the creator in various techniques ranging from charcoal, to watercolor, tempera and inks. These drawings are part of the collection of Juan Castillo Vázquez, great-nephew of the painter.

It is an exclusive exhibition, where you can appreciate the most intimate side of the artistic production of Wifredo Lam , but still identifying those strokes and inocography where western modernism meets african and caribbean symbols, which are a trade mark of the artist.

The Gran Teatro de La Habana is a jewel of the eclectic architecture in Cuba being also headquarters for the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. You will be able to visit this building, in the heart of Old Havana, to watch a staging by the Ballet Nacional, and currently also to discover a multidisciplinary exhibition.

It is an exhibition in tribute to the centenary of the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso presented at the Galería Orígenes, entitled "Alice in her wonderland." The exhibition presents works by renowned cuban artists who have been inspired by the aforementioned dancer to create their artistic pieces, among which we find Cosme Proenza, Tomás Sánchez, José Villa Soberón, Alicia Leal, Roberto Fabelo and Eduardo Roca.

You will have a special meeting with the works of great creators of the art scene in Cuba who have had special sensitivity when portraying the most well-known figure of the ballet in Cuba.

With a long tradition, ballet is one of the most developed artistic manifestations in Cuba, so if you are passionate about this world you can go deeper into it, by taking our guided tour Dance in Havana.

It is a unique opportunity to enjoy the music of Santiago Feliú, one of the great Cuban troubadours, member of the second generation of the Nueva Trova Cubana.

Santiago Feliú was a musician-poet, one of the greatest that the island has given, so if you are in Havana on this date you can be in direct contact with what will surely be an emotional encounter with his music.

This time it will be reinterpreted in Havana, in the minor basilica of the Convento San Francisco de Asis, a tribute concert for lyrical voices and soloists of operistic sytle. The program includes fifteen emblematic works from the vast repertoire of Santiago Feliú, which has been prepared by Helson Hernández in charge of the arrangements conceived for various formats of operistic sytle, seconded by lyrical voices.

The event will be broadcast live on the radio stations CMBF Radio Musical Nacional and Radio Metropolitana. Havana is the cradle of great Cuban musicians, in addition to being the scene of important events of this artistic manifestation. If you want to delve into the wonderful universe of Cuban rhythms, surely on the guided route Music in Havana you will discover new musical horizons.

You are still in time to participate in the poster design organized by Lizt Alfonso company to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

If you dare, you can be part of the conception of a creative company concept. It is an excellent option for those who are linked to the world of design and who at the same time are attracted to the field of dance.

You can submit your proposals until January 15 and capture all your creativity and venture into the world of posters, with a long tradition in Cuba.

If you want to discover the best of Cuban music regarding jazz style, yo cannot miss the concert held at Teatro Martí next January 15, at 7pm at Teatro Martí de la Habana.
It will be a special occasion when trío William Roblejos will present his album "Capitalia". There will also be important guests within the Cuban music scene such as Camerata Romeu and Harold López Nussa.
You will be able to enjoy a special evening in an enchanting theater, the atmosphere will be ideal to listen to the musical proposal of William Roblejos, a young violinist who has burst in with the violin in a relevant way in latín jazz having created his own band.
They make up a trio (bass, guitar and drums) highly recognized in Cuba, so in the month of jazz in Cuba, this option is highly recommended. From CubaUnique we'd like to point out that this event is one of the most attractive musical options, for you if you are in Havana. And if you want to be more connected with Cuban musicality you can explore in our thematic tour Music in Havana.

“Discos de colores" is an online 360º exhibition paying tribute to cuban artist Alfredo Sosabravo. The exhibition is made up of a set of dishes crafted in workshops in Italian towns in the last twenty-five years.

The motives of these ceramic plates recreate the particular figurative language of Sosabravo, full of vivid colors and human and animal iconography. Once you access the platform Behart you will be accompanied by a piano instrumental piece on the back.

It is an opportunity to get closer to the work of one the most versatile cuban artists, who has developed a solid work around painting, drawing, engraving and ceramics.

One of the most anticipated events by Cuban musicians and public is the Festival Jazz Plaza. Taking part in this event, we find both cuban music as well as foreigners, who during one week set Havana in motion to the beat of their tunes.

Well-known Cuban musicians have participated in previous editions. Among them Chucho Valdés, Telmary, Interactivo, Daymé, Cimafunk, Ruy López Nussa, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, etc. and in this edition it will be no different.

If you are in Havana in the month of January you can choose one or more days to discover the best of the live cuban jazz, young performers together with established musicians enliven the capital's concert halls and offer a spectacle for the eyes and ears.

It will be a long-awaited event in which you can get excited and enjoy the musical experience inherited from the 20s of the last century, when this genre began to be appreciated more strongly on the island, especially with the creation of the first Cuban jazz bands.

If you have the opportunity to get closer to Havana on the dates of the event, you still have the option of soaking up good Cuban music at some of our favorite venues with the themed tour Havana after dark.

For theater lovers, the month of January arrives with a very special event. We talk about Festival El Mejunje Teatral, run every year by Centro Cultural el Mejunje.

There will be eight days of theatrical activity, with proposals for both children and adults, where the variety of options for all tastes prevails, from those who prefer musical theater to those who bet on comedy.

This event joins the celebrations for Cuban Theater Day that is celebrated on January 22; Therefore, if you are attracted to stage performances, January will be a good month to travel to Cuba and enjoy theater in Cuba .

At the main venue of the event you will be able to enjoy an attractive staging and, in addition, as it is a multidisciplinary space, you will have the opportunity to stroll through its art gallery and savor a tasty Cuban coffee in the bar Tacones Lejanos .

If you want to start the year with renewed batteries, travel to Cuba in January will be an adrenaline rush for your body and mind.

You will find pleasant temperatures, very far from the European cold, with a lower humidity than in the summer months, which is really appreciated, but this will not free you from taking sunscreen.

Cuba is an everlasting summer! The climate is very stable, and the temperatures are mild throughout the year, so you can bathe in the best beaches and cays in Cuba. Even in January, the water stays around 24º and the temperature ranges between 17 and 28º.

You won't have to deal with heavy tropical rains and humidity is usually lower, so discover Cuba in January is a very attractive time of the year.

An ideal month for activities as diverse as diving or snorkeling on the beaches of the northern Cays. Likewise, the lower temperatures are ideal for exploring the Viñales caves and hiking or horseback riding while you discover the tobacco plantations.

As you can see, to enjoy the authentic Cuba and its Cultural offer, you have a lot of options, although we are in a context marked by the “new normal”.

From our custom made travel agency CubaUnique , we suggest you don't miss any of our recommendations to travel to Cuba without complications.

We suggest some of our most popular preset routes , and, if possible, spend at least 10 days in Cuba to avoid missing the essentials, and above all, we recommend that you closely follow our suggestion of activities on the blog if you plan a cultural trip to Cuba to keep you up to date on the events you don't want to miss.

Unique experiences to do in Havana , honeymoon , group trips with friends , student trips , family trips, business trips

Culture is universal! Do you dare to enjoy the diverse Cuban culture ?

Julienne López Hernández

Degree in History of Art

www.artisticulturaltheory.com

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