Related videos:
The Provincial Commission for Road Safety of Havana announced the complete closure of several streets in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality starting from 05:00 hours on Thursday, April 16, in connection with the political and cultural event for the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution and the Day of the Militiaman.
The event will take place at the intersection of 23 and 12 streets in Vedado, the same location where on April 16, 1961, Fidel Castro publicly proclaimed socialism during the funeral of victims of air bombings, one day before the Bay of Pigs invasion (Playa Girón).
According to the note from the Héroes de Azul page in Cuba, which is close to the island's police, the roads that will be completely closed to traffic are: Calle 12 from 17 to Zapata; Calle 14 from Zapata to 17; Calle 23 from Paseo to Prolongación a Zapata; streets 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 from 21 to 25; and Crecherie and Montero Sánchez from 21 to 23.
The Commission recommends that drivers use alternative routes along the streets Línea, Avenida Malecón, 17, 19, and Zapata, and urges citizens to stay alert to the instructions from the National Revolutionary Police.
The Provincial Transport Company of Havana will implement measures to ensure the transportation of those who regularly travel along 23rd Street, although the official statement did not specify what those measures will be or which routes will be detoured.
The announcement comes at a particularly critical moment for mobility in the Cuban capital. Havana is experiencing a severe public transportation crisis exacerbated by fuel shortages and widespread power outages. A fire at the Nico López refinery on February 13, 2026, further worsened the fuel supply situation, which is compounded by the oil blockade established by executive order of President Donald Trump on January 29, 2026.
The crisis is so severe that in some Cuban provinces, such as Ciego de Ávila, only two out of 135 transportation routes are operating. In Havana, those who rely on alternative transport, such as the so-called almendrones, have to pay up to 350 pesos for a short trip in areas like Vedado-Centro Habana. In this context, the closure of streets for political reasons causes particular frustration among the Havana population, who are already enduring long waits to get around.
The pattern repeats itself every year. In April 2025, the regime held a similar event for the 64th anniversary at the same corner of 23 and 12, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who posted on social media that unity was the founding principle and is key today. This event saw low public attendance, reflecting the growing citizen discontent with the dictatorship.
The date of April 16 is also considered the founding date of the Communist Party of Cuba. In 1961, Castro proclaimed in that same place: "This is the socialist and democratic revolution of the humble, with the humble, and for the humble."
Filed under: