Cuban Cigar Group is located in Havana, Cuba
Cuban Cigar Group is located in Havana, Cuba
Each March, Havana vibrates with rhythm when the Memorial Guillermo Barreto Festival, also known as the Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival (Fiesta del Tambor), takes over the city. It is more than a festival—it is a living tribute to Guillermo Barreto, one of Cuba’s greatest percussionists, who once graced the stage of the Tropicana Club during its golden years of the 1950s.
In a country where rhythm is life itself, where every street corner holds a drumbeat, to be remembered as one of Cuba’s finest percussionists is no small feat. Barreto was more than a master of percussion—he was a bridge between tradition, innovation, and soul. The festival carries his name to honor that legacy.
In Cuba, percussion is more than music. It is sacred. From the batá drums of Afro-Cuban ceremonies that call upon the orishas, to the relentless pulse of rumba in Havana’s streets, the beat of the drum is a language of its own. At the Memorial Guillermo Barreto Festival, this sacred art is celebrated in all its forms—through performances, competitions, concerts, and lectures that bring together Cuba’s finest percussionists and international masters of rhythm.
The festival draws over 1,500 artists from across the world. Cuban icons like Alexander Abreu & Havana D’Primera, Paulo FG, Giraldo Piloto y Klimax, Alain Pérez, Maykel Blanco, and the National Folklore Group perform alongside international talents like Aldo Mazza (Canada), Mark Giulliana (USA), Per Mathisen (Norway), and many more.
Across Havana, the energy spills into multiple venues: Mella Theater, La Tropical’s Rosado Hall, Casa de la Música in Miramar, Riviera Hotel’s El Elegante Hall, Teatro América, FAC, and even community spaces in Regla and Habana del Este. Wherever you go, the air is thick with rhythm—rumba, jazz, salsa, and the timeless beats of Cuban percussion.
For percussionists, the festival is also a test of skill. International competitions are held in congas, timbales, bongos, and batá drums. Young and old, professionals and amateurs, all compete for the chance to be recognized on Cuba’s greatest stage of rhythm. In dance, couples battle in Casino and Rumba styles, their movements as fierce as the drummers driving them forward.
Prizes include instruments, honors, and the respect of Cuba’s most discerning audiences. For many, simply competing is a dream; winning means entering the pantheon of rhythm.
For me, the Festival is more than watching—it is feeling. And nothing completes that experience like the slow ritual of lighting a cigar between performances. In the warm Havana afternoons, while percussion workshops echo through the city, I reach for a H. Upmann Magnum 50. Its balanced, creamy profile is the perfect companion while moving from one venue to another, letting the music and smoke mingle in the streets.
But when the night falls and the rumba begins—when Yoruba Andabo and the great folkloric groups take the stage—I choose something with strength and presence: the Trinidad Fundadores. Elegant, refined, and full of character, it matches the intensity of the drums and the energy of the dancers. With a glass of Havana Club by my side, the cigar becomes part of the rhythm itself, the smoke curling upward like an offering to the gods of percussion.
If you come, do not arrive unprepared. Stop at our cigar shop before or on your way to the festival. Choose your smoke with care—perhaps a Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill for a social afternoon, or a Partagás Serie P No. 2 for a night of rumba. Whatever your choice, it will mark the memory of Havana in rhythm and smoke.
The Festival offers passes of varying levels, including the Premium Pass, which even includes a visit to one of Cuba’s most important cigar factories. It is an experience that combines the world of percussion with the world of Habanos—two of Cuba’s greatest cultural treasures.
Through trusted partners, we offer travel agreements, guided tours, and curated experiences to make your journey seamless. Whether you are a percussionist looking to compete, a music lover chasing rhythm, or a cigar aficionado seeking culture, Havana in March offers it all.
The Memorial Guillermo Barreto Festival is more than a percussion event—it is Cuba’s heartbeat, shared with the world. It is the sacred call of drums, the elegance of dance, the joy of music, and the craftsmanship of cigars.
So whether you plan to attend this coming March or prepare for the next edition, I invite you to join us. Walk the streets of Havana, follow the sound of drums, raise a glass of rum, and light your cigar as the rhythms take hold.
Because in Havana, during the Festival of Drums, the beat never stops—it lives in your chest, in your feet, and in the smoke rising into the Caribbean night.
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