Parrandas de Remedios 2026

The Parrandas de Remedios, held on Christmas Eve (December 24) in the town of Remedios in Villa Clara province, is Cuba's oldest festival, dating to 1820. Two rival neighbourhoods — El Carmen and San Salvador — compete for weeks, building giant floats illuminated by thousands of lights, preparing dazzling fireworks displays, and filling the plaza with music from dusk until dawn. A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event.