El Tropicana Night Club is another spot in Havanа that will enrich your senses with splendour and vividness. During the almost two-hour music and dance show, you will get track of the whole Cuban history.


During the show, you will see the costumes of the Taino Indians – the indigenous inhabitants of the island, the conquistadors, and their African slaves all the way to the present Americans… The Caribbean mix with Spanish rhythms and Afro-Cuban performances brilliantly represent the rich local folklore. Except for rumba, salsa, bolero, and cha-cha-cha, the Cuban tenors will perform for you brilliant opera arias and the best Cuban dancers will take your breath away – it is not surprising that Cuban prima ballerinas can travel freely all over the world despite the difficulties Cubans usually experience when issuing foreign visas. It is said that more than 200 costumes are used during the show. Towards its end, the audience is invited on the stage, and you can hear a popular song from each country around the world.

The cabaret show is designed by Max Ressio who mixes modernism and the tropical style. His project is financed by the American Mafia and this way El Tropicana Night Club opens doors for the public on New Year’s Eve in 1939.

The show takes place on three stages under the open sky. In case of rain, they move it in the Bajo las Estrellas hall in close proximity. The cabaret used to be the ending point of the city, but now it is located at the beginning of the Marianao neighbourhood in Havanа. Find out more about Cuban dances here.

The same neighbourhood hosts the house where Buena Vista Social Club held their first concerts. Find out more about Buena Vista Social Club here.

Some pieces of advice:

  • Choose a middle price – between 85 CUC – 95 CUC, because for 75 CUC you will get rather poor seats. Don’t book a show and dinner – the food is poor and expensive, so eat somewhere else. If you are at Vedado the taxis to the Bar cost around 10 – 15 CUC.
  • Mind the dress code! Men should wear trousers or jeans. Children under the age of 18 are not allowed in the Bar. There are no restrictions regarding the ladies’ outfits – the less the better… 🙂
  • Since 2019 there is an entrance fee if you want to record the show with your camera or phone, so you’d better take only your phone with you and tell the guards that you won’t be taking any photos or videos. If you still want to pay – the fee for a camera is 15 euro and for a phone – 5 euro.
  • If you are in Varaderо, don’t visit the local Tropicana Varadero Club – it is nothing like the Havana one. My advice for you is to visit Tropicana Bar!
  • If the Tropicana Bar show is too expensive for you, there is another cabaret show with more modest costumes but with similar storyline of the programme in Parizine Bar in the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. It costs between 35 – 40 EUR per oerson.