Varadero Josone, a Festival that reveres the best of Cuban music.

Varadero Josone, Rumba, Jazz and Son in its fourth edition keeps as a priority to offer the best of Cuban music, while pointing to the resort among the most important tourist destinations in the country.

The Varadero Josone, Rumba Jazz y Son Festival will officially open its doors to the public this Wednesday with an inclusive character to genres, among others, that are mainstays of popular dance music, trends and many of the exponents defenders of the richness of the Cuban national pentagram, said at a press conference Lourdes Garcia, part of the production team and marketing director of the event.

«We will have from Matanzas Los Muñequitos, artists such as La original de Manzanillo, who comes from the East of the country with Eliades Ochoa as guest, which I think is a very important color note because it is an anniversary and we are giving a nod to one of the institutions that treasure more than 60 years in Cuban music.»

The opening party will feature performances by the Cuban Music Train, Los Van Van, Diván and El Dray. Nearly thirty groups will take part in the fourth edition of the event during the six concerts that will take place from 10:00 every night until Sunday at Josone Park, in Varadero, with a representation of rumba, jazz and son, as well as urban music closing each day.

Among them are Toques del Rio, German Velasco and Orlando Valle «Maraca», Isaac Delgado and his orchestra and Charly and Johayro, for the first night of concerts and for Friday the 23rd will be Ruy Lopez Nussa and the Academy, Synthesis, Adalberto Alvarez and his son and Micha.

On Saturday, Rumba All Stars, Ruly Herrera y Real Project, Anacaona, Haila, Alaín Pérez y la orquesta and Wampi are scheduled to perform; on Sunday, the Santiago Alfonso Folkloric Company, Mayquel González, Brenda Navarrete, DeCuba and Elito Revé and his charangón will close the festival.

The Festival stands out for the ecological sense with which it has been organized, its interest in educating the tastes of the population in terms of musical consumption, especially young people, attracting them with the urban music advocates that are trendy, so that they approach the genres that identify the nation and the important Cuban accent that defends from its musical proposals to the visuality, values Isaac Delgado, president of Varadero Josone.

«We created a festival to be inclusive of all our music, with all its genres. This is a tourist and cultural pole because of the tradition of the great festivals that once took place here and because it belongs to Matanzas, which is recognized worldwide as the Athens of Cuba, for the number and importance of its artists, not only in music, but in all manifestations.

«This is a festival for the national and foreign tourist. One element of the artists who have a little bit of experience is to teach, show and educate the ears, contribute to the breadth of culture. That has always been the purpose.

«Every year we put out trash cans, in an attempt to raise awareness of the need to protect the environment of this venue that is so important.»

The preamble of the Varadero Josone Festival was in charge this Monday of the Failde and Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor orchestras at El Tenis, and electronic music sessions with Adriano DJ Monday and Tuesday at the Varadero venue of the event.

In the case of the latter presentations, the entrance fee is 300 pesos, while the price for the concert nights will be 1,000 pesos, although the possibility of buying a package that guarantees access to all nights for 4,500 pesos has been included.

Several points were set up in the cities of Matanzas, Cárdenas and the tourist pole for the purchase of tickets, in addition to the opportunity to have them in Josone before entering or online at La Papeleta.

The organizers thanked the support of Palmares, the Ministry of Culture, its provincial directorate in Matanzas and the municipal directorate, EGREM, the government and the Ministry of Tourism, as well as the sponsors, among them Gran Caribe, Meliá Iberostar, Bucanero, Habana Club, Los Portales, La Estancia, Ecotur, Islazul, RTV Comercial.

According to Osmar León, executive director of the event, the combination of non-state management and state institutions is one of the novel factors of the Festival this 2024.

«It is the first time we work with non-state management forms, led by the Punto Cero Music Company, Hola Proyecto, Rueda Producciones. There is a chaining of forces that must contribute to the profitability of the event.

«Care is also maintained in terms of the bill in a general way: the design of the tents, the stages, each place so that you feel that it is an organized party, designed for the family.»

Reinier Rodríguez, director of EGREM, referred to other initiatives of Varadero Josone in its fourth edition. «There are very novel things this year, among them the approach to the community that had its preamble in 2023 at the Sauto Theater and this year with the presentation at El Tenis.

«We must also highlight the realization of a children’s space on Saturday at the Casa de la Música de Varadero, the incorporation of SMEs that had not been with us before, the identification within the Josone Park area much more staggered and aesthetically beautiful, with an image of today’s Cuba.

«We will present the EGREM’s 60th Anniversary Medal to eight well-known personalities of Cuban music, among them Eliades Ochoa, the Original de Manzanillo and the Aragon Orchestra. We will have the launching of the albums, mainly those of the artists who belong to our label, at the Cuatro Palmas Hotel.

«These are very difficult times, economically. We always have to keep in mind the country’s effort in complex times to maintain the event.»

Lourdes García pointed out that «we intend, next year, to return to the city of Matanzas with more strength, for more days» to which Isaac added that «we want to enlarge it, to focus it much more towards international tourism».

Varadero Josone, Rumba, Jazz and Son in its fourth edition maintains as a priority to offer the best of Cuban music in all its genres and trends, while pointing to the resort among the most important tourist destinations in the country.

Written by Jessica Mesa.