The 2020 Habano Festival Gets Underway in Havana

The 2020 Habano Festival, the largest international gathering for lovers of the world’s best tobacco, which this year will feature the Bolivar, Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta brands, got going Monday Feb. 24 in Havana.

A weeklong stretch full of activities will allow guests and delegates to learn about the origin, elaboration and the most diverse aspects of the cigar culture. It will be an exciting week dedicated to the latest news, knowledge and enjoyment, with attendees from more than 60 countries expected.

This year there will be visits to the plantations of the Partido Zone (Protected Appellation of Origin), San Antonio de los Baños, in Artemisa, and visits to the La Corona and Partagás cigar factories to learn about the production process of Habanos throughout their value chain.

Likewise, there will be three nights full of the best live music, with renowned international artists, the best Cuban gastronomy and the tasting of Habanos and drinks from different parts of the world.

The inauguration of the Commercial Fair and, especially, the Welcome Night will mark the opening of the 22nd edition of the Habano Festival on February 24.

The Commercial Fair is the meeting and exchange point for professionals of the tobacco sector from all over the world, exhibitors of manufacturers of luxury products in general, as well as artisans, artists, creators of articles for smokers and gourmet products; while welcome night, at Club Habana, will pay tribute to the Bolivar brand with the presentation of the Bolivar Reserva Cosecha 2016.

There will also be practical sessions and master lectures, led by renowned experts in the world of cigars, gathered at the International Seminar, which will open on Wednesday, February 26 with the Master Conference "Habanos and their Brands", by Ciro Bianchi.

The XXII edition of the Habano Festival will organize, for the third time, the Habanos World Challenge contest, in which the general knowledge of the Habano in its diverse phases of the process will be measured, from its cultivation and elaboration to its enjoyment, based on a series of challenges that the participants of the different countries will have to overcome throughout all the stages of the contest.

The Night dedicated to the 30th anniversary of La Casa del Habano and the 85th anniversary of the Montecristo brand will take place at the El Laguito Protocol Hall on Wednesday, February 26, with a dinner for 550 guests designed for the enjoyment of the most prestigious Premium cigar lovers in the world.

On February 28, the Festival will come to a close with a Gala Night dedicated to the Romeo y Julieta brand; a moment full of surprises that will conclude with the awarding of the Habanos Prizes and the traditional Humidor Auction, the proceeds of which, as is now traditional, will go entirely to the Cuban Public Health system.