Start Making Sense: A Tribute to Talking Heads is offering fans a “Once in a Lifetime” chance to join the band for an educational/cultural/performance/people-to-people exchange trip to Cuba! In association with Porterra Travel, Rocks Off, Molimar Export Consultants Inc., with travel arrangements by Interplanner, the event is slated for April 25-29, 2018. The trip will feature two live performances by Start Making Sense in Havana, as well as a tour of the historic city and local museums. This is a chance for fans to fully immerse themselves in the Afro-Cuban music and culture that influenced a large portion of Talking Heads’ eclectic sound.

“The full history of Cuban music is filled with some of the most beautiful compositions and rhythms, which, due to its strength, has influenced music around the globe. Getting closer to that place may give us all a better understanding of Talking Heads’ music, the music that inspired it, and music in general,” says Start Making Sense front-man Jonathan Braun.

More than just a trip abroad, Braun says it is a cultural journey–a journey that took eight months of work to arrange and one in which the band hopes to connect with fans and the Cuban people on a deeper level. “We all know that music is a universal language; let’s be part of a larger conversation,” he said.

In addition to their performances in Havana, Start Making Sense will be adding philanthropic elements to the trip. The band will be donating drum sticks, guitar strings, colored pencils, pens and other items and encourages fans who travel with them to do the same. “We have seen the happiness and joy that Start Making Sense shows have brought to people across the United States,” Braun says. “We plan on bringing that contagious joy with us and sharing it with the Cuban people.”

Start Making Sense Travel Package includes:
• Roundtrip airfare from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Havana, Cuba (via American Airlines)
• Four-night stay at the Hotel Four Points by Sheraton
• Admission to Start Making Sense concerts at Casa De La Musica EGREM and Palacio de la Rumba in Havana, Cuba
• Daily breakfast
• Three lunches and two dinners (including welcome and farewell dinners with members of Start Making Sense)
• Roundtrip airport transfers in Havana
• English-speaking guide for full program
• Air-conditioned motor coach and driver
• Visa fees
• City tour of Havana, Cuba
• City tour of Old Havana
• Tour of Hemingway Museum
• Tour of Regla Church and Museum
• Afro-Cuban ritual dancing
• Cooking class
• Farewell reception at Santa Isabel Hotel
• Evening entertainment and show at Havana Jazz Cafe
• Amistur/ICAP Cuba travel orientation meeting
• United States and Cuban departure taxes
• Two bottles of water per person, per day
• Full escort by tour director
• Local English-speaking representative services

Cost:

• Double Occupancy: $2575 (airfare included on American Airlines)
• Single Occupancy upgrade: $364
• Deposit due upon registration: $500 (non-refundable)
• Travel Arrangements by Interplanner

For more information, tickets, sign up, head here.