Santiago de Cuba will celebrate its carnival amidst blackouts, epidemics, and inflation.

The Carnival of Santiago de Cuba, the most important of its kind in the country, will be held "in accordance with the current economic possibilities of the country," according to the local newspaper.

Current Affairs
CiberCuba Editorial Team

21/07/2024 - 7:47pm (GMT-5) |

Cargando — Carnival of Santiago de Cuba (Reference image)Photo © CiberCuba

Carnavales de Santiago de Cuba (Imagen de referencia) © CiberCuba — Carnival of Santiago de Cuba (Reference image)Photo © CiberCuba

The regime has not forgotten that in Santiago de Cuba, the carnival has historically served to "release" the tensions of the population. For this reason, it has decided to celebrate the Rumbón Mayor despite the blackouts, the presence of the oropouche and dengue viruses, and inflation.

The official newspaper Sierra Maestra reported that the Carnival of Santiago de Cuba, in its adult edition, will take place this year for only three days, from July 25 to 27. As for the children's carnival, it lasted for just one day, coinciding with this Sunday.

Capture / Print Edition / Sierra Maestra

"Adjusted to the current economic possibilities of the country, the Rumbón Mayor will take place from July 25 to 27," pointed out the representative of the government, presenting the celebration as an effort and a gift to the population.

Although it will only last three days, Sierra Maestra reported that the Santiago de Cuba carnival will feature the return of the main dance areas, both those with live orchestras and those with recorded music.

"On July 24, at 11:00 p.m., there will be an artistic gala at Parque Céspedes in celebration of the 509th anniversary of the Villa de Santiago de Cuba," noted the newspaper in its printed edition.

Despite the fact thatThe Carnival of Santiago de Cuba holds the status of Cultural Heritage of the Nation.Its most recent editions have been highly criticized because gastronomy has largely fallen into private hands, which has imposed prices that are far from the budget of the average Santiago resident.

In 2023, the Cuban Félix Font described this year's carnival in Santiago de Cuba as "the worst in history" and criticized not only the high prices of the food offerings but also the poor organization of the festivities.

Facebook Capture / Feliz Font

"The Céspedes avenue was empty compared to other years. Most of the kiosks were private, there was no uniformity of any kind in the prices, and not far away were the state entities, whose products were not very affordable for the entire population," lamented the Cuban.

Font also criticized the decision to cut off music at midnight or one in the morning, only to then subject the population to the blackouts that cause so many inconveniences, pointed out the Santiago native.

However, the reality of the Rumbón Mayor in 2024 will not be very different because the city continues to suffer from annoying power cuts, despite government promises for the summer.

The confirmed presence of dengue and Oropouche viruses in Santiago de Cuba also complicates the realization of the largest popular festival in Santiago de Cuba.