Overview:
May - Flower Festival
End of May to Early June - Festas da Sé
Mid-May and end of May - Madeira Classic Car Shows
June - Atlantic Festival
End of June to Beginning of July - Jazz Festival
July - Madeira Day
Madeira is an island full of festive spirit and vibrant culture. One of the best places to embrace it is in the capital city of Funchal. When visiting, I highly recommend planning your travels around one of the many summer events and festivals. The entertainment genuinely does not stop for the entire summer, with one festival after the other creating constant activities. Some even overlap with each other because the island has determined there are just not enough days to fit in all that they have planned. I adore this city, and have personally determined May-July is the best time to have a unique experience of joining the locals in their festivities.
May - Flower Festival
Madeiras Flower Festival marks the arrival of spring and is the celebration of the vitality of nature. For several weeks in May (the first Thursday until the last Sunday of the month) Funchal is full of bright colors and fresh aromatic smells as the locals fill the streets with art displays, floral exhibitions, elegant clothing and stunning parade floats.
There is countless free entertainment throughout Funchal during this festival. In many areas, namely at the Flower Market hosted on Avenida Arriaga as well as at markets along Avenida do Mar, you can view and purchase a diverse range of exotic flora either already grown or their seeds to plant on your own.
The first Saturday of the festival is when local children dress up in unique floral fashion and begin creating the "Wall of Hope" at the Municipal Square. They pin flowers to a large wall and create a gorgeous mural.
The main event takes place on the first Sunday of the festival (the day after the Wall of Hope is created). It is the Float Parade, where nearly a thousand participants dressed in enchanting flower and nature-inspired costumes dance along with colorful floats down Avenida do Mar. The floats are designed by local clubs from all around Madeira and become decorated in fresh flowers the night before the festival. It starts in the afternoon and lasts a few hours - for exact parade times during your visit check with your accommodation as it may differ each year. The park Praça do Povo is where they park the floats for a few days after the parade is over, giving visitors a chance to see them up close and take photos.
End of May/Beginning of June - Festas da Sé
At the end of May through the very beginning of June is the little Festas da Sé where the streets surrounding Avenida Arriaga and the Municipal Square are once again full of what seems to be never-ending life. Traditional Madeiran 'arraials' (street parties) take place during this event where there is plenty of cultural entertainment. This includes folklore dancing, philharmonic band performances and FADO (a music genre that goes back to at least the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal). Restaurants in these areas during the festival are typically open until midnight and the streets are full of Madeiran cuisine sampling.
Mid May & End of May - Madeira Classic Car Shows
Taking place during the flower festival in the middle of May (as it's also called the Madeira Flower Classic Auto-Parade), classic cars come to town and are driven through Funchal along Avenida do Mar until they ultimately arrive at Praça do Povo. As with all the other festivals, and since its during the ongoing flower festival, there is plenty of entertainment in and around the surrounding areas. This took place on May 12th in 2024 when we were in Funchal.
At the end of May from the 24th-26th, there is the Madeira Classic Car Revival. Classic cars line up in and around Praça do Povo where awards are given out to the best vintage and classic vehicles and previous winning cars are put on display with their awards. This event is set up by 'Clube de Automóveis Clássicos da Madeira'. These two events are the best for car enthusiasts as you can see a diverse range of gorgeous vehicles. The vintage firetruck as seen in the above photo was one of my favorite vehicles of the 2024 show.
June - Atlantic Festival
Throughout the entire month of June there is a festival that marks the start of summer called the Atlantic Festival. Funchal celebrates with music, culture and entertainment. The city brings a whole new meaning to 'starting the summer off with a bang'. This festival was my favorite one during my summer in Madeira.
Every Saturday night there is a large display of fireworks as part of the Madeira International Fireworks competition. Each week, a different country puts on a firework show (also called a pyrotechnic show) that lasts 20 minutes long while the display coordinates harmoniously to their choice of music. It begins at 22:30 and takes place along the Funchal promenade at Praça do Povo. There are two trophies that go out to the winners of the competition - the first, awarded by a jury, is the "Atlantic Trophy", while the second trophy "Madeira Belongs to All" is awarded based on public vote. The winner of the jury vote gets to put on the new years eve show that year. When we were in Funchal in June 2024, we got to see all four shows which included those from Italy, France, England and Portugal.
Along with the weekly fireworks, the festival is full of concerts, street performers and art exhibitions. Most festivities take place on either Avenida do Mar or Avenida Arriaga. In the lawn of Praça do Povo on the weekends (and in the hours before the firework shows) there were beautiful concerts we had the pleasure of watching. In and around the park there are food trucks (I highly recommend 'Kebab on Wheels' for the best kebabs), and plenty of drink stands including those that have fresh poncha which is a must-try traditional Madeiran drink.
End of June/Beginning of July - Jazz Festival
Local and international jazz artists flock to Funchal in the end of June and beginning of July to perform both at Jardim Municipal (Municipal Garden) and Santa Catarina park. The performances are free at the Municipal Garden off of Avenida Arriaga which take place from June 29th-July 3rd. The main stage is at Santa Catarina park and has a fee to enter with performances taking place from July 4th-7th. As of 2024, the prices from July 4th-6th are €15 per day or €35 for all three days, and on July 7th the entry is €10.
July - Madeira Day
The islanders take a day on the first of July each year to celebrate Madeiras autonomy from the mainland. This day is celebrated with fireworks, performances and parades as the locals have off of work and go out with their families. All of the parks will be filled with picnics and children playing and the beaches will be bustling. Keep in mind on this day a lot of businesses such as gyms, government offices and grocery stores will be closed.
Have fun experiencing Funchal in the summer and enjoying the rich cultural events that the island has to offer!
Other blog posts related to Madeira:
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