Cuba Cancels Habanos Festival – Cigar Aficionado
The Habanos Festival, which would have taken place in a few months, has been canceled. “Due to the global context we are living, Habanos, S.A. has decided to cancel the 23rd Habano Festival scheduled for February 2021,” said an official statement sent out this morning.
An official from Habanos confirmed to Cigar Aficionado that this was the first time in the event’s history it had been canceled.
The Habanos Festival, or Festival del Habano, is a yearly gathering in Havana that attracts retailers, distributors, collectors and enthusiasts from around the world. Thousands make the trip from all over the globe to visit cigar factories, tour tobacco fields, shop at the many La Casa del Habano stores and get a preview of all the upcoming releases scheduled for the year. The event concludes with a gala dinner with more than 1,000 in attendance and a high-priced auction of humidors to raise money for the country’s health care system.
Last year’s festival concluded with 2.4 million euros ($2.9 million at current exchange rates) paid for one humidor, a record.
While the Habanos Travel Retail Expo was held virtually earlier this year, Habanos has, so far, given no indication that it plans to hold a virtual alternative to the Festival. However, Habanos added that this year is the 55th anniversary of Cohiba—Cuba’s most famous brand—and stated that it’s “working to surprise the Habano aficionados in 2021.”
While this probably means some sort of Cohiba release similar to those of Cohiba’s 40th and 50th anniversaries, Habanos offered no other details.
This is a developing story. Check back with cigaraficionado.com to see what “surprises” Habanos has, and how the company will announce its new products for the next calendar year.