The songs known as havaneres take their name from the city of Havana, Cuba. They were brought back to the coastal towns of Girona by sailors, soldiers and expatriates returning from Spain’s Caribbean colonies, and were quickly adopted into the Spanish operetta, the zarzuela, partly due to the sensuality of their melodies and their sense of longing. In Catalonia, and particularly on the Girona coast, the havanera took root in the form of fishermen’s and tavern songs, which, in contrast with the rest of Spain, have been largely adopted by the genre of choral singing. On the Costa Brava, the havanera acquired a spirit of fun, of spontaneous togetherness, a spirit of fraternity and celebration that is very infectious.

 The first havaneres concert organised as a public event took place in Calella de Palafrugell on 2 September 1967. From then on, similar concerts have been repeated every year in the coastal towns, especially on the beach at night, because there is no better place for enjoying a havanera than when it is accompanied by the whispering of the sea and a glass of the hot rum punch called cremat.

Important concerts:
Calella de Palafrugell – Port Bo  1st Saturday of July 

St. Feliu de Guíxols – Main Beach 1st weekend of September

-Palamós      August
Enllac: www.palamos.org/municipi/cultura/havaneres_e.htm