Cigar aficionados gear up for Habanos Festival
This year’s gala evening, held on February 22, will pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Trinidad brand
Havana, which celebrates its 500th anniversary, is getting ready to host the XXI Habanos Festival for cigar lovers, which will begin on February 18 with a welcome evening and conclude on February 22 with a traditional gala dinner.
During the festival, two cigars will be celebrated: the Trinidad brand, marking its 50th anniversary, and the San Cristóbal de La Habana brand, commemorating its 20 years.
Hoyo de Monterrey is also set to present its first Gran Reserva Cosecha 2013 with its iconic Double Coronas vitola.
Attendees from more than 60 countries will enjoy a comprehensive five-day program full of activities designed to explore the origin, production and other aspects of the Habanos culture.
The festival will include tours of plantations in Vuelta Abajo, in the Pinar del Río region, considered to be the best land in the world for growing tobacco, as well as visits to the factories responsible for producing this year’s biggest launches.
Other highlights will include three evenings of live music from renowned international artists, the finest gastronomy in Cuba, Habanos tastings and a wide range of beverages from different corners of the world.
The trade fair and the welcome evening will mark the start of the Habanos Festival. The fair is the meeting point for professionals in the tobacco industry worldwide, exhibitors from other luxury goods manufacturers, as well as craftspeople, artists and manufacturers of smoking paraphernalia and gourmet products.
The welcome evening, held in the Antiguo Almacén de la Madera y el Tabaco at Havana port, will pay tribute to San Cristobal de La Habana brand for its 20 years, and to the city of Havana for its 500th anniversary.
The program will also feature master classes and keynote speeches, led by experts in the world of Habanos, at the International Seminar, to be opened on February 20.
The XXI edition of the Habanos Festival will organize, for the second year in a row, the Habanos World Challenge, which involves a series of challenges that aficionados from different countries will have to overcome.
The evening dedicated to Hoyo de Monterrey Gran Reserva Double Coronas Cosecha 2013 will be held at the El Laguito Reception Hall on February 20, with a cocktail dinner for 800 guests in one of the biggest events designed for cigar aficionados in the world.
The gala evening, held on February 22, will be the grand finale. Paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Trinidad brand, the evening promises to be full of surprises with an outstanding musical line-up.
The event will conclude with the Hombre Habano Awards and the traditional Humidors Auction, with all proceeds going to the Cuban Public Health System, as is customary.
