Victory Day in 2025

When is Victory Day?

Victory Day is an official public holiday in Cuba on 2nd January.

It may also be known as 'Victory of the Armed Forces' (Día de Victoria de las Fuerzas Armadas) or 'Victory of Fidel Castro'. It is a day to honor the Cuban armed forces who have been protecting Cuba since 1959.

History of Victory Day

On 1 January 1959, Fidel Castro (1926-2016) established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere after leading an overthrow of the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

The day is used to commemorate the landing of the yacht Granma, which brought the Fidel and Raul Castro, Ernesto "Che" Guevara and 80 other fighters  from Mexico to Cuba to start the revolution in 1959. The yacht landed in southern Cuba on 2 December 1956.

Although the public holiday takes place on 2nd January, a military parade and march takes place every five years on 2nd December to mark armed forces day and commemorate the Granma landing. In 2016, it was postponed by a month due to the death of the Cuban leader Fidel Castro in November.

Victory Day always follows Liberation Day on 1st January, creating a two-day holiday break that coincides with the start of the new year.

During this holiday most official institutions and public establishments, such as banks, will be closed.