Related videos:
The Cuban actor Luis Alberto García questioned on Facebook the celebration of the event "Beginning of Summer 2K26" in Varadero, while millions of Cubans endured power outages of over 20 hours a day and a shortage of drinking water.
Under the title "What’s the reason for such a motivating little motive in Varadero?", García directed a direct appeal to his followers: "Enlighten me. Enlighten us."
The questioned event took place over 72 continuous hours from May 29 to May 31 at the Resonance Musique Hotel in Varadero, organized by the audiovisual project Fiesta Havana and Rey Puma, featuring artists such as Yomil, Ja Rulay, Wildey, Zurdo MC, El Micha, and Hallel Génesis.
The controversy intensified when Sandro Castro celebrated the start of summer in Varadero, the grandson of Fidel Castro, promoted the event on Instagram by showcasing lunch at Casa Dupont, jet ski rides, and a beach party.
At the entrance to Varadero, there was a sign reading "What is collected here is for the people," which was received as a cruel irony given the reality faced by most Cubans.
A VIP table at the summer kickoff concert cost 600 dollars, an amount that is unattainable for the vast majority of the population.
While the celebration was taking place, the Cuban electrical system was operating with only 1,170 MW available against a demand of 2,700 MW, with a projected deficit during peak hours of 1,930 MW.
According to reports, around 2.7 million Cubans were facing shortages of drinking water during those days, and power outages exceeded 20 hours in all provinces of the country.
García himself had reported on May 25 the impact of the blackouts on Cuban children, and on June 1 he described the weekend of power cuts as something "designed so extremely that it seemed intended to provoke political backlash."
The event also sparked internal criticism among the artists themselves: Yomil publicly exploded against the disorganization of the concert after having to perform at 5:00 a.m. without a prior soundcheck.
Hallel Génesis's performance also went viral due to the limited reaction of the audience present, which forced the artist to respond to the criticism on social media.
García, one of the most active critical voices in the Cuban cultural scene, has used her social media in recent months to denounce the electric crisis, censorship, and the contradictions of the system, accumulating a record of direct confrontations with the regime's structures that stands in stark contrast to the silence of much of the Island's artistic elite.
Filed under: