The Procigar 2024 Festival had its grand finale on Friday, February 23rd. The festival finished on a high note with $530,000.00 raised for charity at the Gala Dinner. Notably, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was in attendance.

Field Day

As it has been for the previous four Procigar Festivals I have covered, the final day consists of a “Field Day” event in the morning, followed by the Gala dinner to wrap up Procigar. Field Day is something that was first introduced in 2020. The location was at the La Aurora farm in Jacagua. The concept seemed to mimic something similar to the multivendor events we are used to in the States. This included cigars, cigar rolling, food, music, and interactive games and activities. I’ve commented before that the factories and farms played host to everyone participating in the Puro Sabor Festival. I liked that Field Day on the La Aurora farm provided a similar experience.

Video Credit: Jay Davis

If you were interested in a farm/factory tour, the opportunity still existed to tour La Aurora’s farm.

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Video Credit: Jay Davis

I’ve been told that Field Day gives attendees a later start to the day than going on the Factory Tours. This is because the White Party from the night before often goes late. However, I see the Field Day serving a better purpose. It gets the Dominican Cigar Industry and guests into a more intimate setting than the evening dinner and allows for more interaction.

“Smash Burgers” were available, and they were a big hit.

 

Kah Kow Chocolate was also at the Field Day. If they look familiar to cigar enthusiasts, in 2013, the company teamed up for a cigar and chocolate pairing project with Fratello Cigars.

The Gala Dinner

Once Field Day was wrapped up, there was plenty of time to relax before the Grand Finale – the Gala Dinner. The Gala Dinner is a formal affair event held at Centro Español, a social club venue in Santiago. As with each evening event, attendees received a box containing one cigar from each Procigar manufacturer member.

 

 

While there is music (somewhat loud) and food (delicious), the highlight of the evening is the charity auction. For the charity auction, each of the 12 member companies of Procigar donates an auction item. In many cases, it is a unique humidor (sometimes one-of-a-kind). You can see from the photos that these humidors are impressive to look at. In addition, manufacturers donated rare cigars for the auction.

The charity auction benefits Voluntariado Jesús con los Niños, the Sociedad San Vicente de Paul, “A Home for my Family,” and other non-profit organizations that aim to improve the quality of life of people in need. The auctioneer was Michael Herklots, co-owner of Ferio Tego. Before the auction, the Procigar organization recognized Herklots and Manolo Quesada for their tireless efforts over the years of supporting the auction.

The video below tells the story if you haven’t seen him in action.

The auction raised a record-breaking $530,000.00 for the charities. Tabacalera A. Fuente’s Opus X Heaven and Earth Humidor Big B humidor ended up being the top-earning item, with the winner paying $70,000.00.

For details on the Charity Auction humidor items, see our prior coverage from Procigar 2024.

 

The auction is always an emotional high to the Procigar Festival week. Moreover, things got a boost from the presence of Dominican Republic President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona. It wasn’t a total surprise that the President would be there. Two years ago, the President had been planning to attend the 2022 White Party. However, it turned out that this was when the Ukraine War broke out, and he was called into an emergency meeting. Instead, Vice President Raquel Peña de Antuña attended the Gala Dinner.

The relationship between Procigar and President Abinader is very strong. Back in 2022, President Abinader attended Procigar’s 30th Anniversary celebration. He seems to be a popular President – at least in the ranks of the cigar industry. He has been a vocal supporter of the industry and its importance to the Dominican Republic.

Prior to the auction, Tabacalera A Fuente was recognized by Procigar for receiving #1 Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado magazine. President Abinader came on stage for the presentation. Carlito Fuente presented the President with a box of Opus X cigars.

One final note on President Abinader. He was at the event for quite a while. This wasn’t a case of him dropping him and then having to go. He seemed very engaged with people throughout the whole festival. It put the icing on the cake on the evening of the Grand Finale of Procigar 2024.

Oh yeah, the music was good – but louder than I prefer.

The Gala Dinner provided a fitting Grand Finale for Procigar 2024, ending the festival on a high note. We will be back for a post-game report on the Festival itself over the next few days.

For full Procigar 2024  coverage, see our Procigar 2024 Coverage Hub

Special Thanks to Jay Davis, who contributed to this day’s coverage.

Photo/Video Credits: Cigar Coop, unless otherwise stated