Havana citizens are celebrating their city’s 500th anniversary this year.

CGTN’s Luis Chirino reports.

Home to more than 2 million people, Havana has considerably expanded its boundaries since its founding in 1519, with districts and neighborhoods bearing the imprint from the colonial time to the modern era.

The oldest section of town, largely restored, is visited by tourists from all corners of the world.

Not far from the old town is one of Havana’s first districts, Guanabacoa, founded in 1554 on the eastern side of Havana Bay.

A highly populated neighborhood in the center of town depicts what everyday life is like in most Havana areas: people running errands and vendors on busy streets.

Other districts built after the 1959 revolution boast a large number of Soviet-style condos, not so colorful as other areas, but they are integral to Havana.

Ongoing Havana celebrations are not focusing just on a physical city, but on its culture, its history and above all its cheerful and hospitable people and their achievements over the past five centuries.

The city’s popular seafront boulevard, El Malecon, connects the old town to more modern neighborhoods, and it’s a popular place to relax.

It’s along the boulevard where Havana citizens hold their annual carnivals.

This year, the big attraction included a colorful children’s parade and evening shows with singers and dancers on floats, people dancing in the streets, all wishing Havana a Happy 500th Birthday.