Summers in Cuba that will not return: This is what the Parque de las 8000 Taquillas in Varadero was like

There was a time when Varadero was not exclusive. It was enough to arrive on a bus from other cities to experience a perfect day. It was an era when there was a place designed for everyone: the Parque de las 8000 Taquillas.

Inaugurated in 1964, this park became the emblem of popular Cuban summer. Designed with a logic of social justice and not of elitist tourism, it provided essential services so that any Cuban could enjoy the beach with dignity.

It had four circular sections of metal lockers, powerful showers that were activated by foot, wooden benches, spotless sinks, and clean towels. All at affordable prices in the national currency.

The ticket booth key, secured with a sturdy string, was part of the swimmer's uniform. The trend was to carry a small vinyl bag with deodorant, comb, soap, and swim trunks.

A Facebook post from user Christian Arbolaez nostalgically recalls those pristine white towels at the venue, the "soap bars for twenty cents," and even the rental briefs for three pesos. "If you lost the key, you paid five pesos... a sum that was enough for a nice lunch at El Caney or Castel Novo," reminisces a visitor.

Outside, the atmosphere was just as lively. There were showers to wash off the sand, vendors selling sugar cane, sweet bread, shaved ice, and crafts made from seashells. A day in Varadero wouldn’t be complete without stopping by, and at the higher end of the park, there was even a Coppelia ice cream parlor. Ice cream crowned the beach day.

Beyond the park, teenagers and young people rode along the coast on bicycles. Varadero, back then, belonged to everyone. But times change. The Parque de las 8000 Taquillas no longer exists. It was abandoned and removed by the very government that created it and that has restricted access to Varadero for resource-limited Cubans.

The area has been transformed into a shopping mall with poor supplies and is filled with spaces unrelated to the original concept. The residents of this small municipality have gradually been forced to leave their city. Fewer and fewer native inhabitants remain in Varadero.

Those who lived through the times of the Parque de las 8000 Taquillas remember that era with a mix of sweetness and anger. They also long for the fun-filled nights at the Festival Internacional de Varadero. Those summers will not return.

“Living those moments was beautiful; ever since my mom told me that we were going to the beach on Sunday, I would count the minutes and barely sleep.” “The beach was yours, even if you didn't have reservations at a hotel.” “Everything worked better than it does now,” some even claim: “We were happy and didn't know it”.

Many share a common feeling of nostalgia for a place that symbolized equity and rights. A place that was destroyed by the decisions of a regime that once prohibited the dollar and today marginalizes those without foreign currency.

The Park of the 8000 Box Offices was not luxury; it was access. It was not tourism; it was a right, but those things are no longer present in Cuba.

Frequently asked questions about the Park of the 8000 Ticket Booths and the current situation in Varadero