Artists from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Spain, France, Congo, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Peru, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and the United States participated in the event.

For Cuban pianist Rolando Luna, the Festival has been a special moment in his career, as it has allowed him to exchange with some of the artists he most admires, including Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdes, and the Irakere band.

“I participated when I was very young in 2001 or 2002. Since then, I have always tried to be here,” Luna told the Festival’s newspaper.

The concerts in Havana were held at the Nacional de Cuba, Marti, America, and Lazaro Peña theaters, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Bertolt Brecht Cultural Center, the Cuba Pavilion, the Plaza Culture House, the Cuban Art Factory, and La Tropical’s Salon Rosado Benny More.

In Santiago de Cuba, performances reached the Marti and Moncada communities, Plaza de Marte (Arms Square), and the Dolores Boulevard Park.

The Festival also paid tribute to rumba group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas on its 70th anniversary, trumpet player Bobby Carcasses on his 84th birthday, composer Martha Valdes, percussionist Chano Pozo, and pianist Hernan Lopez Nusa.

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