Havana cabaret has been hosting people for 86 years and counting
The show must go on and on and on and on and on…
Havana’s famed nightclub The Tropicana Cabaret is marking 86 years of showcasing Cuban culture with its lively displays of different genres of Cuban music and dancing. The nighttime shows feature performers sporting colourful costumes in the Under the Stars Salon, with that unroofed side of the 36,000-square-metre Tropicana serving its suitable name.
The attraction says it has become “the most famous cabaret attraction in Latin America,” while Cuban tourism minister Juan Carlos Garcia Granda — speaking during Cuba’s annual tourism show FITCuba — said the Tropicana is “an attraction that has made us proud for 86 years.”
The Tropicana hosted the closing event for this year’s FITCuba.
Garcia Granda is far from the only tourism figure to sing the Tropicana’s praises.
“Cubans feel a significant pride in the Tropicana as it is symbol of our cultural identity,” said Lessner Gomez, who oversees the Cuba Tourism Board’s Toronto office.
Lessner notes that Tropicana was founded in 1939 in Havana and it remains an icon of Cuban performing arts, its exuberant style, with choreographies, Afro-Cuban music and spectacular costumes.
“It represents a distinctive part of the artistic soul of the country,” he shares. “Tropicana has been recognized as one of the most famous cabarets worldwide. Tourists should visit Tropicana for its spectacular shows, and to get a glance of Cuba’s cultural richness. Tropicana is legendary for its Afro-Cuban music, dance, colourful costumes and extraordinary energy that captures the Caribbean spirit. It is also like going back in time. It has been the scene of performances by legends such as Nat King Cole, Celia Cruz and Benny More. It is a piece of world cabaret history that continues to operate in its original outdoor setting under the stars. Unlike other cabarets in the world, the Tropicana is presented in a natural environment, with tropical vegetation and an architectural design that embraces the scenic and the natural, creating a unique atmosphere.”
Tropicana guests can order food if they wish and Cuban rum is available.
Meanwhile, Gomez says the Tropicana is unequalled, even in Cuba.
“There are some shows in other parts of Cuba and the world that share certain similarities with the Tropicana, especially in the cabaret style, live music and colourful production, but none are exactly the same due to the strong Cuban cultural stamp of the Tropicana and unique settings,” he stated.
