Cuba’s International Jazz Plaza Festival to delight from January 25 to February 1
The event celebrates its 41st edition, extending its reach to Holguín
Posted by Sol de Cuba, 19/01/2026
From January 25 to February 1, 2026, Cuba will enjoy the rhythm of the International Jazz Plaza Festival, which reaches its 41st edition, consolidating its position as one of the most authentic and dynamic musical events in the Caribbean. This year, in addition to its traditional presence in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Santa Clara, the festival extends its magic for the first time to Holguín, which joins its list of venues.
Visual art is integrated into the celebration with the work of renowned painter Alfredo Sosabravo, National Prize for Visual Arts (1997) and a key figure in Cuban culture. His iconic piece El Guateque, brimming with color and Cuban essence, reflects the energy that distinguishes Jazz Plaza, whose edition this year coincides with the artist’s 95th birthday.
The event’s Artistic Director, Roberto Fonseca, has composed the official song, “La Rumba me llama,” a piece that fuses jazz and Cuban roots, and which, along with the participation of young talents, injects the festival with renewed freshness, demonstrating that jazz remains a living and evolving language.
A festival with a global touch
More than 19 countries will be represented in the program, with artists from France, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, China and other nations, reinforcing the international character of Jazz Plaza.
Since 2025, the event has been part of the International Alliance of Silk Road Arts Festivals, an initiative supported by the Chinese Embassy in Cuba, which expands its reach to venues such as Mexico, Colombia and Spain, according to a report by La Jiribilla.
Four decades after its creation, Jazz Plaza reaffirms its universal vocation: a festival that reinvents itself without losing its identity, uniting cultures through music and remaining, more than an event, a meeting of souls. Jazz, like Cuban culture, demonstrates once again its power to connect, inspire and endure.
Behind the scenes of the Jazz Plaza International Festival video clip. Photo: Jazz Plaza International Festival
