The organizers of Cuba’s 41st International Jazz Plaza Festival, to be held from January 25 to February 1, 2026, unveiled its official poster, video and theme this week.
The distinctive image for this year reflects the joy of the Jazz Plaza and draws inspiration from Guateque art style. “It is a special commission to the prestigious Cuban visual artist Alfredo Sosabravo, who recently celebrated his 95th birthday,” announced the president of the international event, Víctor Rodríguez.
Pianist Roberto Fonseca, along with renowned artists Bobby Carcassés, Alain Pérez, Isaac Delgado, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, and young students from music schools, feature in this year’s festival theme, La rumba me llama [The rumba calls me].
“The most difficult part for me is always choosing the musicians; if I could, I would call them all. Creating the song is a challenge because it’s like the face of the event, and this time, our intention is to pay tribute to the art schools,” confessed Fonseca.
Youth takes centre stage this time, and for the first time, the eastern province of Holguín is included. Víctor Rodríguez stated that expectations to please the public in that region of Cuba, affected by Hurricane Melissa, are very high.
To date, the attendance of 220 international artists and young Cubans residing abroad has been confirmed, as well as appearances by figures such as Frank Fernández, Nachito Herrera, Harold López-Nussa, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Pacheco brothers, Rolando Luna, Héctor Quintana, and a large number of young music students.
“60 to 70 percent of the concerts are confirmed, and we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the group Síntesis. Believe me, even if no one else came except for our artists residing abroad, it would still be a tremendous festival,” asserted Rodríguez.
“We have grown from music, visual arts, photography, and film, and this brings us to continue thinking of the event as a great platform for the arts, where January becomes the Jazz Plaza Festival not only in Havana but also in Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara, and a bit beyond,” concluded the president of the Cuban Institute of Music, Indira Fajardo.
Cuba 50 
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