24th Habano Festival. Registration Opens

[Cigar Surgeon]

https://developingpalates.com/news/cigar-news/cigar-news-habano-festival-2024-registration-begins/

We are about to celebrate the 24th edition of the Habano Festival which will take place from February 26th to March 1st, 2024.

It will be an intense week in which you will enjoy the latest novelties, knowledge and enjoyment of the Habano.

Registration Procedure

For this new edition of the Habano Festival, will be able to be registered through the online accreditation system: https://registrations.habanos.com. You may know about the different activities of the event and access to “Register” where you can be registered for all the activities you are interested in and make payment online with your credit card.

The registration period for the next Habano Festival will be opened from January 30th to February 12th or until places available are exhausted.

Once payment has been made, you will receive an email with a QR code which you may present it per activity, either on your phone or printed, along with the physical invitation given to you at Palco Hotel, Convention Center, Havana.

Thank you for your interest, we look forward to seeing you at the most important Premium tobacco event in the world: the Habano Festival.

Below, you may find the 2024 Festival General Program and the prices.

Activities/Prices in Euros

Welcome Evening – 530
Visit to Plantations – 170
International Seminar – 425
Mid-week Evening – 745
Visit to Habanos Factories – 200
Gala Evening – 1325
Auction – 200
Total – 3595

Accommodation and Transportation

The booking hotels and transportation to the different activities should be made through Havanatur, as the official Travel Agency of the event.

Payments in Cuba will be also done through Havanatur.

[JohnS]

I'd be interested to know if any of our members would be going this year? 🤔

[99call]

1 hour ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Total – 3595

Haha. No wonder everyone desperately tries to sell their stash as soon as the get home

[Cigar Surgeon]

19 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I'd be interested to know if any of our members would be going this year? 🤔

Sadly I have never been and our outlet wouldn't be able to cover those kinds of expenses.  I have to live vicariously through Brooks @ Halfweel. 

[MagicalBikeRide]

Been to Cuba many times but never this festival. Just doesn’t appeal to me. For the fees plus travel costs, I could buy many things that I value far more than anything listed in the itinerary - for example, 650 pints of Guinness and 5 boxes of Monte 2. Know which I’d prefer 😅

[NSXCIGAR]

It's become poor value. $500 to hang out at Club Havana for a few hrs and get a Monte 2, Wide Edmundo and a couple Monte Slams wasn't thrilling people last time. Buses breaking down on the way to Pinar. Standing in line for two hours to get a box of Boli BGM. $1k for a mediocre dinner and 3 Party Maestra. 

They really shouldn't be trying to make money with the festival but that's exactly what they're now trying to do. Of course this will almost certainly result in less attendees and less revenue. 

[ATGroom]

If any US based members are going this year (even just to Cuba in the next few weeks), please DM me. Looking for some mules to carry books over.

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

I'd be interested to know if any of our members would be going this year? 🤔

And yes, I'll be there.🤪

[El Presidente]

If you blink about the cost, you shouldn't be going. 

Once the festival was about Industry and affcionados of all means coming together for a great party week. 

Today it is largely about industry and the uber wealthy. There is nothing wrong about that. It is still a great week/vibe if the crowds/lines/lack of service don't bother you. 

Personally? Put together 4-5 mates. Follow the best of the festival Itinerary but do it a couple of weeks beforehand. You will have a hoot at a fraction of the cost. You may miss out on the festival releases but that is about it. 

 

[Habanoschris]

I do intend to go one of these years for certain, I didn't realize we were only a month out! 

I am glad to see they didn't limit their price hikes to their cigars 😛  

[Lt4-396]

I was actually considering going this year. That is until I watched the Kirby Allison videos. Almost everything about the festival is a turn off and the complete opposite of what I would want my next visit to be. Short of the new releases and any cigars given out i have zero interest in going.

Would be very interesting to see the total amount spent by visitors during that week on the festival & cigars/alcohol vs. what they give back to the Cuban people.

At the end of the day, I'd rather go with a smallish group and just hang out for a week or more.

[Skm672]

I know that I am a new member here but I would like to opine on the topic. Last year was the first time I went to the festival. I started smoking in 2011 and it took me 12 years to decide to visit. I would say that one of the great advantages of attending is meeting aficionados and people from the industry. I think being in Havana at the same time of the festival is a great period. I do agree that the price is steep relative to previous year but for me the value is in the people you meet.

Would love to meet people from here during the festival so feel free to DM me.

[Fezztone]

I thought the auction took place during the gala? Perhaps it’s 200 to buy a paddle to bid.  

[rondogg]

Anyone in Cuba for this ? I'm going in Feb '25 onwards would love to meet some of you as well I see @Skm672 is here who else? Would be good to meet a group or be added to one.

[Chitmo]

Anyone plug it into an inflation calculator to see if it’s actually gotten that much more expensive or is it just that everything is? Not sure about you guys, but here on the east coast of Canada a bag of grapes is around $15 now, gas is $1.75/liter give or take and I called the other day to get my sofa cleaned and the price has gone up almost 100% in 12 months. 20 years ago I couldn’t afford a Cuban cigar but I could eat for the week for $50. Now it’s cheaper to smoke than eat. 😂