Cuba’s Communist Party is holding its first congress in 14 years, and for the country’s ageing leaders it could be one of their last opportunities to bask in the victories of days gone by.
The red flags are flying high in Havana. Buildings across the capital are decked out with giant Cuban flags.
One of the largest military parades seen in decades is scheduled to pass through Revolution Square, the symbolic political heart of the country.
The parade and congress come exactly half a century after Fidel Castro proclaimed that his was a socialist revolution, rather than a democratic one.
His speech on 16 April 1961 paved the way for a centralised Soviet-style economy and one-party rule.
Military prowess will be a big part of the celebrations
