Museo El Carnaval is located in Heredia # 303, between Carnicería and Calvario streets.

Monday - Sunday 08:00 - 16:00

Since 1982 this colonial property that was declared National Monument, serves as the commission that is responsible of the organization of the carnival and some popular parties. This cultural institution was inaugurated in 1983 as a museum with the aim of showing the traditions and memories of the carnivals that are held in the city annually in July. The evolution of this performance can be seen in the museum through photographic sequences with explanatory texts, chronologies, different objects, and musical instruments used in the realization of the carnival.

The building dates from the 18th century. It was intended and used as mansion, but in 1950s it was converted into the primary school of Catholic Pedagogical College, where the children of wealthy families of the time were attending. During 1960s until 1968, it continued with its function as a primary school under a different name (Eduardo García Lavandero). Eduardo Garcia Lavandero was a fighter in the clandestine struggle against the regime of Batista. Later, the building became an office of the Ministry of Education.

Although the interior of the building underwent several transformations with the passage of time, the façade still maintains its original beauty. The presence of two large Spanish doors, made of solid wood with bronze nails, and the balustrade large windows with wooden crossbars characterize the main façade and give it a unique formal appearance. The front corridor, accessed by two stairs, gives an urban appearance to the house, creating an intermediate space between the street and the life of the inhabitants. The decorated alforja ceiling in one of its interior rooms deserves special mention.

The themes exhibited in the museum, can be grouped into three stages: the colonial time, the republic time and the revolution. Touring through the rooms of the museum, the history of the santiaguero carnival that originated in the religious processions of July 25, dedicated to Santiago Apóstol, can be seen through photographic sequences with explanatory texts and chronologies, as well as the important objects of this tradition, such as trophies, banners, costumes, capes, and the street decoration. The museum has a separate room dedicated to the musical instruments of some important groups that join the carnival, like Cabildo Carabali Olugo, French tomb, and Conga Santiaguera Cubana.

The shady patio is a place where some folk groups meet to recreate regional and national folklore every afternoon, except on Saturdays.