Procigar Festival 2021 Postponed

The 2021 edition of the Procigar Festival has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. No new date has been given and it’s unclear whether the event will take place as an in-person or virtual event at a later date.

Typically, Procigar takes place the week following Valentine’s Day in February.

The announcement was made on Wednesday morning by Procigar, the Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers, which hosts the event. The organization said the decision comes following consultations with its members, sponsors, and attendees, and considering the significant impact of international travel at this time.

“Our first consideration under these difficult circumstances must be for the health and well-being of all participants involved in the event while national governments seek to contain the spread of this disease,” said the association via a press release.

While dates for the 2021 event were never publicly announced, the festival is generally scheduled for the week after Valentine’s Day in February. Festivities span about five days, beginning in La Romana on the eastern side of the country at Tabacalera de García before moving west to Santiago, which is home to the majority of the country’s tobacco farms and factories. Guests tour fields and facilities, learn about cigar blending and the production process, and have the opportunity to meet and mingle with manufacturers. Evenings consist of dinners held throughout the city, including one known as the white party that is held at the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración, a central monument in the city. The festival wraps up with a gala dinner featuring an auction of art and cigars, many coming in unique humidors made just for the event.

The other two major cigar festivals—the Puro Sabor Festival in Nicaragua and the Festival del Habano in Cuba—have been canceled.