Cuba postpones its annual cigar fair as a US oil siege causes severe
fuel shortages and blackouts
[February 16, 2026] By
ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — Cuba’s annual cigar fair, which was set to be held
the last week of February, has been postponed organizers said Saturday,
as the island faces blackouts and severe fuel shortages brought about by
a U.S oil embargo.
In a statement, the cigar fair’s organizer, Habanos S.A. said it decided
to postpone the iconic event to “preserve its high standard of quality.”
Habanos S.A., a joint venture between the state-owned company Cubatabaco
and international firm Altadis, holds the global monopoly on Cuban cigar
sales.
Every year, the company hosts the annual Habanos Festival, a key event
for cigar aficionados and distributors worldwide, where attendees tour
tobacco plantations, participate in auctions and witness the latest in
craftsmanship.
The statement by Habanos S.A. did not set a new date for the 26th
edition of the cigar fair.
Last year, the event closed with an auction in which $18 million was
paid for a batch of highly coveted, hand rolled cigars. The company last
year also reported record sales of $827 million.
Several cultural events, including a book fair, have been postponed in
Cuba this month as the island grapples with the most severe fuel
shortages and power blackouts in years.
In late January, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose
tariffs on any country that sold oil to Cuba, as Washington puts more
pressure on the island’s communist leadership to implement political and
economic reforms.
Cuba imports about 60% of its energy supply, and had long relied on
Venezuela and Mexico for much of its oil.
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A couple sit on a seawall while watching a tanker ship exit Havana,
Cuba, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
 But shipments from Venezuela were
canceled in January following the removal of that nation’s
then-president Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. military raid, a move that
also resulted in greater U.S. oversight over Venezuela’s oil
industry.
Shipments from Mexico stopped in mid-February following Trump’s
tariff threat.
Earlier this week, three Canadian airlines canceled flights to Cuba
after the island’s government announced there would be no jet fuel
for planes seeking to refuel at Cuba’s airports. Other airlines have
maintained their flights to the island but will be refueling their
planes with stopovers in the Dominican Republic.
The fuel shortages have also hurt tourism on the island, with some
agencies canceling trips as the government shuts down some hotels,
and relocates tourists in a bid to save electricity.
Tabacuba, a state-run tobacco company, lamented the postponement of
this year's cigar fair in a statement, saying it had come about due
to “the complex economic situation that the nation is facing, as a
result of the intensification of the economic, commercial and
financial blockade” imposed by the United States.
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