LIMA, Peru – The Cuban regime announced this Saturday the cancellation of its iconic Habano Festival, in the midst of a serious energy crisis caused by a lack of fuel and resources.
The AFP news agency had access to a message addressed to participants in which the organizers reported that they were postponing the annual event, scheduled to be held from February 24 to 27, although they did not announce a new date.
According to the organizing company Habanos SA, the measure was taken “with the objective of preserving the highest standards of quality, excellence and experience that characterize this international event.”
The Habano Festival is a small gold mine for the Castro dictatorship. Every year, it brings together tobacco fans, traders and specialized journalists from all over the world. The event also includes an auction of luxury cigars and humidors, which in the 2025 edition alone raised around $19.5 million.
The decision to suspend the famous festival occurs in the midst of a context of aggravated crisis within Cuba, as part of the subsistence measures that the Castro regime is taking in the face of fuel shortages.
On February 6, a group of ministers participated in the state propaganda program Round Table to announce the main actions that would allow the reorganization of resources and “guarantee the vitality of fundamental services” in the country.
According to official information, the available fuel will be concentrated in sectors considered priority. The Government assured that it will be used to protect essential services for the population and essential economic activities. Among the priorities mentioned are electricity generation – which is “fundamentally” supported by the national production of crude oil, accompanying gas and renewable sources –, water supply and basic health services.
In this last area, the authorities promised to maintain attention to medical emergencies, maternal and child health and the Cancer Program.
The official speech also stressed that, “to the extent possible”, activities aimed at obtaining foreign currency income, considered necessary for the economic and social development of the country, will be protected.
