Dominican Cigar Fest 2022 Scheduled for June 3-5

The Asociación Dominicana de Cigarros y Tabaco (ADOCITAB)—the Dominican Association of Cigars and Tobacco—will hold its first cigar festival this June.

To be clear, neither the event nor the organization is affiliated with Procigar, the longstanding Dominican cigar manufacturers’ association that hosts a cigar festival each February.

ADOCITAB appears to be a much more inclusive organization—it already has more than 40 companies compared to Procigar’s current membership of 11 companies—that represents a wide range of companies, most notably smaller cigar factories. Its leadership includes:

• Osvaldo Radhamés Rodríguez (President)
• Altagracia Ovalle (Secretary)
• Rembert Star (Treasurer)
• Elba Rodriguez
• Radhames Perez
• Marco Antonio Arias Ventura
• Angel Gomez
• Robinson Diaz (Executive Director)
• Francisco Matós (Operations Director)

As for the event, ADOCITAB is making its festival about Tamboril, the Santiago municipality that is home to most of the country’s cigar factories. Dominican Cigar Fest 2022 will begin Friday, June 3, and conclude on June 5. It is centered around two different areas: a trade show space that could host up to 80 companies—46 are currently confirmed participants—and a show area that will include cultural events and musical performances. The lineup of musical guests includes:

• Friday (June 3)
  • Yiyo Sarante
  • Banda Real
  • Moa Cabrera
• Saturday (June 4)
  • Peña Suazo & Banda Gorda
  • Ruby Perez
  • Joaquin Sanchez
• Sunday (June 5)
  • Serio Vargas
  • El Chaval de la Bachata

During the day, the festival will offer tours of cigar factories, cigar rolling demonstrations and classes, cultural tours as well as optional upgrades including a helicopter tour of Santiago ($200).

A ticket to all three days costs $1,100 and includes access to the event areas, lunch and dinner, two cigar boxes, a bottle of rum, a cigar lighter, a cigar cutter and a custom-decorated hat. Packages that include hotel room stays, transportation (not airfare) to the events and all three meals start at $1,910 per person.

So far, there will be tours of three factories—Tabacalera El Artista, Tabacalera Victor Sinclair and Tabacalera William Ventura—though more could be added to the list of options.

There are 44 companies that are currently members of the organization:

• Capote Cigar Stores
• Cigar Box Company
• Cigarros La Reyna
• Cigarzona
• Distribuidora Belmare Investments
• Don Anibal Trujillo Cigars
• Don Chenco Cigars
• Don Toirac Cigars
• Donven Tobacco
• Ecuadom
• Eslova Box Factory
• FK Global
• Gillock Woodworks
• Gomez Lopez Cigars
• Hoja del Sol
• Humo Filantropico
• IEM Corporation
• Intercigar
• La Abeja Cigars
• Matos Cigars
• MAV Tabaco
• Productos del Tabaco
• Tabacalera 3P
• Tabacalera Chamon
• Tabacalera Cuny
• Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera
• Tabacalera El Artista
• Tabacalera El Hoyito
• Tabacalera El Puente
• Tabacalera Estrella
• Tabacalera Hatuey
• Tabacalera Jacagua
• Tabacalera L&V
• Tabacalera La Esmeralda
• Tabacalera Las Lavas
• Tabacalera Real
• Tabacalera San Victor
• Tabacalera Victor Sinclair
• Tabacalera William Ventura
• Tabacos Carlos David Dominguez
• Tabacos Horacio Mendez
• Tabacos Vegas del Rey
• TCD Logistics Dominicana
• Yaya Cigars

In addition, there are companies that are not members that will have a presence at the event in some capacity. Of note, Tabacalera Palma appears to be the only Procigar member company that is participating in the event.