Travel bucket list idea:
Tropicana Cabaret
Havana, Cuba
Credit Shutterstock.com/The Visual Explorer
This sizzling, sparkling floorshow is one of Havana’s most iconic experiences. Cuban dancers, flamboyant in exotic costumes of feathers and sequins, perform exquisitely choreographed dances to a razzle of great music and lighting on a vast open-air stage.
Running since 1939, and once the world’s most famous nightclub, today it’s still a must-see on any Havana visit, and worth every penny of the expensive (for Cuba) entrance fee.
Logistics
Getting there & doing it
Three types of ticket (including a cocktail, a quarter bottle of rum, and a mixer) are available. The more expensive the ticket, the closer you will sit to the stage. If you buy the top-priced ticket, opt for the seating directly in front of the stage and not the side area whose views are obscured by foliage.
Tickets can be purchased online or better from all hotel tourist bureaux. You cannot secure your exact position in the three seating bands, but if you arrive early, you’ll get the best pick.
If it rains, the show is moved into the 1950’s Arcos de Cristal salon. You can’t swap your ticket for another day, so book the morning of the show. Take a taxi to the venue.
When to do it
Doors open at 8.30pm, and the show runs 10pm-11.15pm daily, followed by a disco until 12.30am.