The Miami Theatre was the setting this Wednesday for a night of glamour, feathers, and elegance with the celebration of the Feather Fantasy Fashion Show, one of the official events on the calendar for Miss Universe Cuba 2026, which brought together for the first time the 20 candidates competing for the national crown.
The evening began with the official ceremony of band presentations, presided over by the director of the event, Prince Julio César, and the current Miss Universe Cuba 2025, Lina Luaces, who placed the identifying bands on each regional representative before an enthusiastic audience.
One of the historic moments of the night was the performance, for the first time in the history of the event, of the band from Hialeah, represented by Alejandra García, which expands the territorial representation of the contest within the Cuban exile community.
After the official ceremony, the candidates took to the runway at the Feather Fantasy Fashion Show, a haute couture event inspired by the world of feathers, where each participant showcased striking designs that blended creativity and elegance.
The event also included the presentation of three awards sponsored by collaborating brands. The Top Model of the Year award went to Daniela Reyes, representative of Mayabeque; the Best Feather Look was won by the representative of Havana, Valentina Morales; and the People's Choice Award, chosen by public voting, was given to Sofía González, representative of Pinar del Río.
Daniela Reyes, favorite candidate according to the Missosology Cuba ranking with over 16,600 interactions —more than double that of her closest competitor— is also a Cuban influencer residing in Miami with over a million followers on Instagram.
The 20 official candidates remaining in the competition are: Gabriella Davis (Artemisa), Stephany Granado (Camagüey), Daniela Espinosa (Ciego de Ávila), Gabriela Álvarez (Cienfuegos), Victoria Torres (Granma), Amanda Díaz (Guantánamo), Valeria Pérez (Holguín), Nicole Hernández (Isla de la Juventud), Valentina Morales (Havana), Camila Rodríguez (Las Tunas), Isabella Cruz (Matanzas), Daniela Reyes (Mayabeque), Sofía González (Pinar del Río), Emily Fernández (Sancti Spíritus), Ashley Martínez (Santiago de Cuba), Mariana López (Villa Clara), Alejandra García (Hialeah), Natalia Suárez (Miami), Andrea Méndez (Camagüey Sur), and Gabriela Herrera (West).
Lina Luaces, who presides over this process as the outgoing queen, reached the Top 12 of Miss Universe 2025 held in Thailand, consolidating the growing prominence of the Cuban pageant on the international stage.
Miss Universe Cuba operates from Miami under the direction of Prince Julio César, a Venezuelan fashion designer who obtained permission from the Miss Universe Organization to represent Cuba from exile, reintegrating the island into the pageant after 57 years of absence since Fidel Castro banned beauty contests in 1967.
The grand final of Miss Universe Cuba 2026 is scheduled for August 20 at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay, Miami, where the winner will have the honor of representing Cuba at the 75th edition of Miss Universe, planned for November 2026 at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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