Habanos S.A. Increases Prices for 2023 Festival del Habano

Next year will mark the first time since 2020 that Habanos S.A., the Cuban cigar conglomerate, will host the Festival del Habano. Those hoping to attend the week-long celebration of Cuban cigars in Havana. should expect to pay noticeably more to attend the various events compared to previous iterations of the Festival.

The event takes place between Feb. 26-March 3. While Habanos S.A. has neither detailed the full itinerary nor opened registration, earlier today it announced pricing for the various events that take place during the Festival:

• Welcome Evening — $500 (350 CUC in 2020)
• Visit to Plantations — $150 (85 CUC in 2020)
• International Seminar — $450 ($400 CUC in 2020)
• “Evening” — $700
• Visit to Habanos Factories — $100 (40 CUC in 2020)
• Gala Evening — $1,250 (700 CUC in 2020)

The “Evening” is a mid-week dinner; during the 2020 Festival this was used to celebrate the Montecristo brand and the 20th anniversary of the La Casa del Habano franchise program.

In 2020, Cuba was still using the CUC, the Cuban Convertible Peso, for tourists. Officially, the CUC was set 1:1 with the U.S. dollar, though a surcharge was added meaning that $100 USD would typically net around 93 CUCs. Cuba phased out the CUC in late 2020.

For those interested in participating in the humidor auction during the Gala Evening, registration for the auction will cost an additional $100.

The Festival del Habano serves as the marquee event for the Cuban cigar world as most of Habanos S.A.’s distributors attend the event along with some of the more prominent Cuban cigar retailers as well as consumers and media. Beyond the formal list of events, many private parties—both formal and informal—are hosted along with countless meetings, including with some of Habanos S.A.’s suppliers and other partners.

In addition, there are usually a number of formal dinners dedicated to specific cigars or releases, as well as the final night’s activities which includes an extremely popular auction of elaborate humidors. In 2020, the seven humidors auctioned off went for a combined €4.27 million ($4.71 million at the time), and more than half of the amount spent for a Cohiba humidor, which sold for €2.4 million ($2.65 million at the time.)

Registration for the Festival del Habano XXIII has not yet opened. Habanos S.A. said that it “will soon activate the online accreditation system through which you will be able to be registered for the event.”