Neighbors from the neighborhood Cayo Hueso, in Centro Habana, staged a massive chanting protest on Saturday night, according to journalist Mario Pentón. The demonstration, posted by Facebook user Ángel Rivas, took place “in the 20-story buildings” in response to the prolonged blackouts that have left the Cuban capital in darkness.
Rivas described the protest as a "massive pot-banging event" as it unfolded.
A couple of hours after this report, at 11:10 p.m., journalist Yosmay Mayeta also reported another pot-banging event in the capital, in the Mulgoba area, "La Chusmita," Boyeros. “There is never any power there,” Mayeta was told by an internet user.
The comments from residents of Centro Habana on the publication by journalist Mario J. Pentón reveal the extent of the electricity shortage in the area. "From yesterday to today, an hour and a half of electricity," wrote one of the neighbors, while another summed up the situation with a single phrase: "Only one hour of light, abusive."
Other locals reported similar conditions in various parts of Havana. From Miramar and Playa, an internet user noted that in that area there was "only 3 hours of electricity since yesterday at 5 pm," referring to five in the afternoon on Friday, May 29.
Desperation was also reflected in other comments. "I don't know how much longer a person can endure; we're losing our minds, we can't take it anymore, may God help us," wrote a resident. Another internet user expanded the picture beyond the capital: "They have Santiago de Cuba completely in the dark as well."
The cacerolazo occurs in the context of an unprecedented electrical crisis in May 2026. This Saturday, the Electric Union reported an available capacity of only 1,400 MW compared to a demand of 2,770 MW, with a maximum impact of 1,890 MW recorded at 10:00 PM on Friday, worsened by the emergency shutdown of units at the Santa Cruz and Renté thermoelectric plants.
To this scenario was added the fact that the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, one of the most important generating plants in the country, returned to be disconnected from the National Electric System less than 36 hours after being reconnected, deepening the energy crisis.
The month of May has been the most critical of the year in terms of energy. On May 13, a record deficit of 2,153 MW was recorded, and the following day reached a historic peak of 2,174 MW, with power outages lasting between 20 and 22 hours daily in Havana and about 70% of the Cuban population without service at the same time.
Cayo Hueso is not the only site of protests in Central Havana. The cacerolazo last Tuesday at Zanja and Hospital, led by residents of the 12-story building, anticipated the escalation this Saturday. In March 2026, similar episodes were also reported on Neptuno and Hospital streets, and on Salud and Belascoaín, the latter with police presence in the area.
Some comments on social media raised alarms about repression in the context of the protests. "Here, too, a lot of people have been imprisoned and have also faced physical assaults; there is definitely fear, they are family members and then those children," wrote a user. The episode in Alamar on May 21, where a protest during a blackout ended with police repression and at least one arrest, illustrates the regime's pattern of response to public outrage.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts documented 1,245 protests, complaints, and expressions of discontent in March 2026 and 1,133 in April, with the energy crisis as the main trigger, a figure that reflects the exhaustion of a population that, as a resident of Cayo Hueso summed up this Saturday, feels that "it's just too much."
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