Santiago de Cuba: Festival fever in July!
Tuesday, 25th May 2010
This tropical Caribbean city comes alive as it celebrates two major festivals in a month...this is one party not to miss!
If there was ever a time to visit Santiago de Cuba, it’s July. With two major festivals falling in the same month, visitors to this friendly, tropical city in southern Cuba will be treated to a feast of Caribbean and Latin American culture.
The Festival del Fuego takes place from 3rd to 9th July and is one of the island’s biggest and best street parties, the streets of Santiago filling with music, dance and parades for the entire week. The festival focuses strongly on arts and culture, through which it explores local identity, history and religion. Live bands, musicians and DJs play to crowds of people who gather throughout the day and night, fuelled on by the national drink of rum, and there are various cultural events including theatre, story-telling, poetry and cookery.
The second major festival to fall in July is the Carnival de Santiago de Cuba. Again a time for Cubans to remember their roots and celebrate their community and culture, this vibrant festival covers the Cuban national holiday on July 26th, which itself is a commemoration of the 1953 assault of the Moncada barracks in Santiago by Fidel Castro and his men. The festival runs from 20th-26th July and is undoubtedly the highpoint of the year in the Santiaguero calendar. A week of non-stop colour, festivities, live music and dancing in the streets, the city really comes alive during Carnival, almost seeming to beat in time to the salsa and conga lines that work their way down Santiago’s steep streets to the sound of lively percussion instruments. It comes as no surprise that locals prepare for and look forward to the celebrations weeks in advance and, when the time comes, then dress in their best costumes and party in true Caribbean style.
* Special Offer *
Students who book an Individual Spanish Course with accommodation during the month of July will receive a course of 5 dance lessons (one each afternoon) for free! This is the perfect way to meet the locals, learn some Spanish and experience the festival from the inside, something not afforded to the average tourist. Through your course you can also arrange to live with a local Cuban family, which is for many people one of the best memories of their stay in Cuba; in July, the real bonus is that this gives you somewhere to stay when hotels are likely to be busy far in advance.
Tags: festival del fuego, santiago de cuba, carnival, spanish
Posted by Sarah Watkins 2010-05 under Experience Cultures, Destinations for you,
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Posted by Katy on 05/25 at 09:45 PM
Santiago de Cuba is wonderful and the people there are so welcoming and lovely
I would love to come back for the carnival!!