Calendar / Las Parrandas de Remedios
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Witness / Attend in Remedios
Las Parrandas de Remedios
Dec 16–24, 2026ExpectedParrandas 2026
No organizer, no ticket office. This is a living tradition, and the way in is simply to be there; guides get you inside it.
Dates & details verified against: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ↗
Why go
Las Parrandas de Remedios is the wildest Christmas in the Caribbean. Every December the small colonial town of Remedios splits into two neighbourhoods, El Carmen under the sign of the hawk and San Salvador under the rooster, and spends weeks in secret building towering illuminated floats and parade structures. On the night of December 24 the two sides face off around the Plaza Mayor in a marathon of horizontally fired fireworks, changing-light towers, music and rival floats that runs until dawn. Recognised by UNESCO in 2018, it is a real town competition rather than a show staged for visitors. There is no ticket office and no organiser to book. You turn up in the square, pick a side, and stand with one of the two barrios as the rockets go off overhead.
When it runs
Builds nightly from December 16, with the all-night climax on Christmas Eve, December 24, every year.
- Dec 16–24, 2026ExpectedParrandas 2026
- Dec 16–24, 2027ExpectedParrandas 2027
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
The parrandas build through the second half of December with nightly work and smaller displays, then peak in an all-night spectacle on December 24 into the early hours of the 25th. Expect enormous crowds, deafening fireworks fired low across the square, and dense smoke. It is loud, chaotic and close-quarters. Bring ear protection, keep children back, and do not stand where the rockets are aimed.
Getting there & around
Remedios is a small town in Villa Clara province, near the Cayo Santa Maria resorts, roughly a four to five hour drive east of Havana or about an hour from Santa Clara. Beds in town are very limited and sell out for the 24th, so many visitors stay at the nearby cayo hotels or in Santa Clara and travel in for the night. There is nothing to reserve for the event itself; it happens in the street.
Where it happens
Remedios, Cuba.
Want to go? The full Remedios guide: conditions, logistics, providers →