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Cuba Nostalgia returns this weekend to Miami for its 27th edition, bringing together thousands of Cubans and Cuban-Americans around the music, culture, and traditions of the Island.
The festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition Center, located at the intersection of 112th Avenue and Coral Way, in the Tamiami area.
Regarded as the largest Cuban cultural festival in the United States, the event draws over 25,000 attendees each year and offers free concerts, live music, art, shops, food, and drinks. Today's hours are from 11:00 AM to 11:59 PM, and on Sunday from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Tickets at the door cost $25 per person, and the event is suitable for all ages.
The artistic lineup for this edition features established figures and new talents: Willy Chirino, Aymée Nuviola, Lena Burke, Malena Burke, Brenda Navarrete, Iván Camejo, Amaury Gutiérrez, El Niño y La Verdad, and the young Ronkalunga.
This edition also includes a special tribute to Willy Chirino, featuring an exhibition of objects from his five-decade career. Chirino is regarded as one of the creators of the "Miami Sound" and an icon of the Cuban exile community.
Ronkalunga debuts at Cuba Nostalgia and describes the moment as very significant: "For me, it is super special to be at this event... it's the first time I will be appearing as, as they say, an ambassador of traditional Cuban music," he told Telemundo 51.
The event will also recreate iconic spaces of Havana such as El Floridita, La Bodeguita del Medio, El Paseo del Prado, and the Tropicana cabaret, transporting attendees to a Cuba that many hold in their memories and others know only through family heritage.
As every year, one of the most emotional moments will be the space dedicated to faith with the replica of the Cathedral of Havana at Cuba Nostalgia, where attendees raise prayers to the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba.
The official poster for this edition was designed by Vic García, a young artist born in Miami who deeply identifies with his roots: "I am Cuban, it's in my blood... and this is an honor in my life, to do this."
The singer Lena Burke, who has been participating in the festival for several years, summed up the spirit of the event: "We’re going to be with family… we’ve been singing there for several years, what an honor."
The political component is also present, as is tradition at Cuba Nostalgia. Peter Regalado, the event's director and organizer - founded by his father about 27 years ago - expressed his desire to "have the honor of being able to host the 28th edition in Havana."
Aymée Nuviola shared that sentiment: "I believe that Cubans are so hopeful... that we are going to project that desire for the freedom of Cuba."
The singer-songwriter Amaury Gutiérrez was even more explicit about the moment the Island is experiencing: "This year is going to be special because very interesting things are about to happen in Cuba… good things for the people there who have suffered so much."
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