One of the reputations Cuba has is that it is the land of music. And while music is certainly much more prevalent and a much bigger part of the culture in Cuba than in Australia, it wasn’t quite on every street corner as you may be imagining.
The no brainer way to enjoy some Cuban music is to visit the Casa de la Trova wherever you are. Live music every day for free or sometimes a small fee. Quite often the music spills out onto the street and there is a crowd of people outside the Casa listening and dancing.
While I was in Santiago de Cuba for the Festival del Caribe, there were lots of other opportunities to enjoy music as well. Apart from during the parade, there were performances in the Casa de Cultura
Semi-organised jams in the street
Small performances in the main square
And large performances in the main square
All in the space of 2 days!
And in Trinidad, you really can’t miss sitting on the steps (with all the other tourists) listening to the free live band playing at the Casa de la Música (a block away from the Casa de la Trova).
