The best (and most photogenic) musicians were busking on the streets
Leaving the casa particular at night, the streets of Trinidad are dark and motionless. Despite the cool night breezes, the doors are closed and windows are shuttered. It’s not until we arrived in the Plaza Mayor we heard the first strains of music from Trinidad’s legendary dance halls.
The first dance hall we visited was Casa de La Trova (House of the Minstrel) which catered to traditional Cuban music. Rows of plastic chairs faced the stage, where a group of somewhat rag-tag looking musicians played and sang.
One of the bands at Casa de la Trova
It took a while for the weak drinks to get anyone on the dance floor, but once a semi-professional Cuban couple started a few more people joined in. The Cubans were precise and poised dancers. The drunk Russian tourists were less elegant. The third band to come on had two trumpeters, which was just too loud in the confined space so we went outside for some fresh air.
Dancing at Casa de la Trova
Across the road from Casa de la Trova is La Palenque. The crowd here was much younger and it was the only place we saw with bouncers on the door so gave it a miss.
Casa de la Musica by Day
Back towards the main square the crowds had started gathering outside Casa de la Musica. This open air dance hall on the stairs next to the church is a far more laid back affair than the other venues, and far more to my taste.
The band and the audience all gather on the central steps. The dance floor is also on the steps. The band was far less noisy and aggressive, and the crowd agreeably chilled.
Casa de la Musica by night
If you want to go into the actual Casa de la Musica I think you’d need to arrive very early to get seats or anywhere near the bar.
Note: Most of the dance halls have a CUC$2-5 cover charge, paid at the door. There’s also a disco in a nearby cave complex.
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