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The National Theater of Cuba announced on Saturday the cancellation of the closing gala of the 2026 Cubadisco International Festival, scheduled for Sunday, May 24, in the Covarrubias Hall of that institution, without providing an official explanation for the reasons.
The notice, signed by the Public Relations department of the theater, was limited to stating that the cancellation was due to "reasons beyond our control," a phrase that Cubans are already familiar with as a euphemism for the crisis that is paralyzing the country.
People who purchased tickets will be able to request a 100% refund at the theater box office between Tuesday, May 26, and Thursday, May 28, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
The organizers specified that the event's closing will take place this Sunday at 6:00 p.m. in the Pabellón Cuba, featuring a concert by Issac Delgado.
He also indicated that the Contemporary Dance performances would conclude this Saturday, and suggested "to follow the posts on our profile to stay updated on the presentations."
The closing of Cubadisco marks the end of the 38th edition of the festival, held in Havana from May 14 to 24, featuring 17 days of programming across 40 venues in the capital. This edition was dedicated to the Cuban son, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Although the official notice remains silent on the causes, the suspension comes at the worst moment of the Cuban energy crisis so far in 2026, with power outages lasting up to 20 and 22 hours a day in some circuits of Havana.
Cubadisco had already sparked public outrage days earlier. On May 18, a resident of Vedado named Guglielmo Tell reported on social media that his area had only four hours of electricity while the Pabellón Cuba, the festival's venue, remained fully illuminated.
"Is there any greater sham than using the country's situation as an excuse for all this corruption? Taking away people's electricity for entire days to provide it for disturbances, and even for a two-hour concert?" he wrote.
The closing of Cubadisco adds to a series of cultural cancellations caused by power outages. The 34th International Book Fair was postponed with no new date in January, the Karl Marx Theater suspended all of its programming in February, and the International Ballet Grand Prix of Havana has been postponed until July 2027.
In that last case, the Organizing Committee was more explicit. "The current energy situation in the country prevents us from ensuring the technical and comfort conditions required for the optimal development of an event of this category and international prestige," it emphasized.
On May 13, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, publicly acknowledged that the situation is "acute, critical," and "extremely tense."
The irony is not lost on Cubans, as while the regime prepares tribunes and official events amid a crisis, cultural events that do attract a real audience continue to fall one after another due to a lack of electricity.
The Cubadisco 2026 awards gala was indeed held on May 16 at the same Sala Covarrubias, where awards were presented in 12 musical genres.
Among the awardees were Ariadna Cuéllar Pérez, Waldo Mendoza, and the Australian Alex Pertout in the International category. The festival also paid tribute to the director of Grupo Moncada, Jorge Gómez, a foundational figure of the event who recently passed away.
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