Lonely Planet India – August 2019

aroundnoonandprettymuchclosesdown

all otherbusiness.Followthecrowds.

(Hamel,betweenAramburuandHospital).

4.FábricadeArteCubano

AnyonewhothinksCubais ontheverge

of selling its soul to US consumerism

should visit this nascent art factory

in Vedado, where cultural interchange

is a breeding ground for creativity and

ideas. Founded by Cuban fusion musician

X-Alfonso in 2014, the Fábrica de Arte

Cubano is in an old olive-oil factory that

opens its doors four nights a week for

a full programme of electrifying

happenings, including plenty of music.

Inside, you can wander at will between

different interactive spaces, lingering

whenever and wherever you wish.

Serendipity might cough up tango

lessons, a throbbing DJ set, an avant-

garde art expo, an a capella singing

group,a filmaboutCuba’smusicheritage

or a late-nightjazzjam.Therearebars,

terraces,beautifuldesignfeatures

andevena ministreet-foodmarket.

It’s morethanexciting(www.fac.cu).

5.JazzCafé

There’s jazz, and there’s Cuban jazz –

a distinctly African version of the genre

augmented with batá drums, maracas

and claves. Supported by Havana’s

annual jazz festival, one of the city’s most

anticipated musical events, Cuban jazz

has never been healthier. Of several

places in the city that swing nightly

to its improvised sounds, the Jazz Café in

Vedado, 1km west of the Hotel Nacional,

is by far the most suave and sophisticated.

Cocooned on the upper floor of a

once-modern, now kitschy shopping mall,

it serves decent food and perfect cocktails

(Top floor, Galerías de Paseo).

1. A rumba band
   thrills the crowd at
   Callejón de Hamel


2. A dancer in
   Callejón de Hamel

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