Havana Nightlife

The “Accidental Tourist“ Explores Fábrica de Arte Cubano

If you know anything about Cuba, it’s clear these people know how to entertain. The Cuban people have a strong sense of music and dance. This history dates back hundreds of years, but since the 1950’s, they have put an incomparable stamp on the entertainment world.

On this Friday night, the entire group (now on the ground in Havana) are heading out to explore what this country has to offer when it comes to music, dance, and on this night art! Part of the “one page” background paper on Havana, is a cool nightspot known as FAC, or Fábrica de Arte Cubano. It’s an old Olive Oil Factory on the western side of the Malecon, now converted into an Art Gallery, Restaurant, Live & DJ Music destination.

We rode along the Malecon in our two taxis. Our host Harold came along to make sure we were prepared and poised to have a great time. When we arrived, the line to get in was around the building! The FAC staff said the line would move quickly and they were correct. Everything was orderly and the vibe was alive. I asked about the cost, knowing what US clubs charge. It was a pleasant surprise when one person said $2 CUCs (Cuban Convertible Peso). They check the bags (of course) and once we were in, they gave each of us a card and we were instructed not to lose it. When purchasing food or drink, the server’s fill out the card and at the end of the night, you present your card upon departure to pay your tab. A lost card results in a $30 CUC charge.

Fábrica de arte Cubano

The ground floor was an amazing gallery of Cuban art. You can find a cocktail and roam through large and small rooms of culture. We slowly found ourselves listening popular music from a DJ. Moving upstairs was a large restaurant area where you could eat in or outside on a patio looking over this part of Havana. Somewhere in this area, Sonia bumped into friends who were also visiting Cuba from New York! What a small world, right? These two ladies were with a man from Berlin (one of my favorite cities), and he and I immediately struck up a conversation.

Me, in a Jazz club. Surprised?

Also around this time, the group began to splinter. Harold was about to leave to spend time with his wife and young son (I’ll have another blog on this amazing family in a few days). I found a live Jazz concert (Jazztumbatá was performing) and basically spent the rest of the night there. The music was insanely awesome. The performers had the crowd in a dancing trance. People all over were enjoying the music, arms swaying, and a Cuban version of the Soul Train dance line unfolded. I think I took probably 300 photos with my Nikon D610, and then snapped a few shots with my iPhone (why, I dunno).

After the concert ended, I wandered a bit soon found Sonia, Alanna & Stacey near one of the bars. No, they were not drinking. Well maybe just a little.

Last Call

The night was winding down. We stood in line to pay our tabs. Mine was $12 CUCs. Stephen Davis would call that a Zimms check, well yeah. We wandered out to look for our ride home and after about 10 minutes, Alfredo walked over to collect us for the drive back. Of course after a night of partying, I was “Jonesing” for food. I later learned I spoke of having a cheeseburger more than once during the 25-minute drive home. Sorry bout that.

Upon arrival back at our Airbnb, Claudia made me the most amazing Cuban sandwich! My stomach was happy and I called it a night.

The next part of this journey, an “Accidental Tourist” Road trip to Valle de Vinales and a slice of old Cuba.