During five days (February 27 to March 3), meetings, tastings, presentations, exhibitions and debates will take place in this city and other places, especially in the western region of Cuba, with people coming from more than 70 countries.

However, this Festival, whose first version was in 1999 (interrupted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic) had an interesting precedent. This initiative began in 1994, during the 150th anniversary of the H.Upmann brand. The party lasted only two days (September 20-21) and was very well received. It took place at Havana’s peripheral restaurant Las Ruinas.

It turned out to be a dinner prepared by the famous Cuban chef Gilberto Smith Duquesne (1920-2010), who made lobster reign supreme at the table.

At that lunch, three H.Upmann labels were tasted: Preciosa, Mareva and Sir Winston, and a panel evaluated the cigars that would later be released as Upmann No.4 and Petit Corona.

The historical list shows that from September 19 to 21, 1995, it was the turn of the 150th anniversary of the Partagás brand, one of the most demanded in the world.

The dinner was held at that year’s inaugurated Meliá Cohiba Hotel, in its Cetro Room, and was attended by 300 personalities from 30 countries, including Hollywood artists Matt Dillon, Seymour Cassel and Joe Pantoliano.

For the first time, the Habano Man of the Year award (now known as the Habano Award) was presented to the then president of Tabacalera Española S.A., Pedro Pérez (Commerce), and to the editor of the US magazine Cigar Aficionado, Marvin Shankeen (Communications).

Subsequently, this award included the area of Production, as it is currently awarded, and women appeared on the list, thus the change of name.

Then in 1999 the 1st Habano Festival took place, and since then it has been held from the end of February to the first days of March each year, with the attendance of more than a thousand people from 70 countries.

The high quality of the cigars, considered the best premium (handmade) cigars in the world, and the repeated attendance of experts and cigar enthusiasts to this meeting, turned the Festival into the most relevant tobacco marketing event on the planet, as it continues to this day.

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