The story
Festival del Mar Varadero in Varadero
Varadero's most thoroughly documented major festival is the historic Festival Internacional de la Cancion, running from the 1960s into the 1970s; a distinct Festival del Mar specifically focused on the sea could not be independently confirmed with its own founding date or programme. This listing most likely refers to a smaller, beach-themed community event tied to Varadero's marine tourism identity rather than a major internationally documented fixture.
Varadero's best-documented major festival history belongs to a different event: the Festival Internacional de la Cancion, which began with a national song contest in 1965 and grew into a large international popular song festival from 1967, drawing dozens of performers and delegations from more than twenty countries to the beach resort's hotels and amphitheatre through the late 1960s and into the 1970s.