Prelude to Carnaval

Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba

Post of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together.
This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying at home.

July 7th, 2020

Following yesterday’s epic car ride across Cuba, today we’re in Santiago de Cuba for Carnaval.

I credit my husband J with getting us to this festival in July of 2016. He has an uncanny way of following his heart and his hunches to some of the most rewarding experiences among all of our travels. Carnaval was no exception.

Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba

We knew Carnaval would be happening when we were in Cuba. We knew we needed to get to Santiago de Cuba to experience it. But beyond that, we knew very little … only a range of dates, no specific locations, no idea what to expect. We had booked only four nights at two casa particulars outside the downtown area, so we had a relatively small window of time. All we could do was hope that J’s instincts were leading us to something worthwhile.

It wasn’t until our third night in Santiago de Cuba that we found the party. The son of the neighbor of our casa particular was a taxi driver. He knew we wanted to see Carnaval and he knew right where to take us.

Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba

What transpired was an unforgettable evening of expression, rhythm, vibrant color and costumes, pride, and so much spirit displayed by the people of Cuba, young to old.

Piled high

Tomorrow I’ll share my original post about the whole experience. Until then, have some dinner and churros, find your $2 seat in the bleachers and get ready for the show.

See you then!
Kelly

Churros!