Key West activities are to take place Sept. 7-9 and include cigar, rum distillery and art gallery tours as well as receptions and a drag show. Subsequently, those wishing to visit Cuba can do so Sept. 10-13.
The festival showcases the Cuban-influenced heritage of Key West, which actually is located closer to Cuba than to the U.S. mainland. The island city began welcoming its Cuban neighbors in the early 1830s and its first cigar factory opened in 1831. In the late 1800s Key West was home to almost 150 cigar factories where workers produced as many as 100 million hand-rolled cigars per year
