Events for 2009

All Events


January

Madeira Walking Festival – 13th to 17th January 2009
The Festival consists on organized walks during 5 consecutive days. There are trail walks and also the very famous "Levada" walks (walks that follow old waterways still working today!) There are 20 routes and all have been carefully chosen to offer the participants a walk to suit all different levels of expertise.

MOF - Madeira Orienteering Festival – 28th to 30th January
This competition takes place in the open. Choose from one long or one shorter trail to suit different levels of expertise.


February

Carnival 2009
Theme: Carnival Around the World

February 21st, Saturday
Revelry in the City Centre
21:00 - Grande Carnival Parade Starting at the Praça da Autonomia, Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, subida pela R. dias Leite, Infante roundabout, Av. Arriaga, Avenida Zarco, Rua Câmara Pestana and Praça do Municipio

February 24th, Tuesday
Revelry in the City Centre
16:00 Slapstick Cortege, open to everyone Starting at Praça da Autonomia, Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, subida pela R. dias Leite, Infante roundabout, Av. Arriaga, Avenida Zarco, Rua Câmara Pestana e Praça do Municipio


April

25th and 26th of April
Flower Festival
Every year, two weeks after Easter, Madeira’s flower-festival fills the main streets of Funchal’s centre with floats displaying a myriad of flowers and colours.

On the eve before the street parade, thousands of children gather in the Praça do Município where they build a ‘Wall of Hope’, made of thousands of flowers. Other accompanying activities during this time are the making of flower carpets in the streets, folklore performances, flower shows, classical music concerts and variety shows.


June

6th, 13th, 20th and 27th June – Fireworks Contest 2009
Atlantic Festival
1st through 30th June
The Atlantic Festival is organised by the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Culture and is an important event that combines entertainment and culture. It has three components: the Madeira Music Festival, the International Fireworks Competition and performances by philharmonic bands in Funchal’s centre.

During this festival classical music performances are held in eminent sites of the region, such as Palácio de São Lourenço, Teatro Municipal Balthazar Dias, Casa das Mudas, and several churches in Funchal. This festival also comprises the International Fireworks Competition, in which, on every Saturday in June, contestants from different countries organise magnificent firework displays in harmony with accompanying music.


August

Great Historic Parade in Funchal

On the 21st of August 2009 Funchal celebrates the day 501 years ago when it was first nominated a city by King Dom Manuel I.

Apart from open air concerts and other entertainment the focus of the celebrations will be on the colourful Historic Parade called Funchal History in the Street. The first time this event took place was on the same date in 2008 when the city celebrated its 5th century.

Thousands of revellers came to watch as hundreds of people dressed in costumes from different eras of Funchal history depicting various episodes of the development of the harbour city walked through the streets of Madeira Island’s capital.

It was such an enormous success that the City Council decided to repeat the parade again this year. So why not come and celebrate this special occasion with us? You can expect great variety as the costumes in the parade cover a big slice of history: 501 years!


September

Madeira Wine Festival 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th September
Recalling the social and economic importance of Madeira wine by reliving old wine-growing traditions, the Madeira Wine Festival is held in September during the main period of grape harvesting.

The festival begins in the village of Câmara de Lobos with the actual picking of the grapes, the pickers’ parade, the treading of the grapes and other related traditions that are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. In the centre of Funchal, the Madeira Wine Festival includes light, sound and folk shows, all related to old wine-making traditions, and many stands serve the for the season typical Madeiran food and drink specialities.


Columbus Festival, 10th, 11th and 12th September
This event is dedicated to the great navigator Christopher Columbus who had a close connection to Madeira and also lived a few years in Porto Santo. This week-long festival is held in Vila Baleira on Porto Santo Island and features lots of music, drama, exhibitions, parades and street parties, recalling the glorious times of the Portuguese discoveries.

Columbus’ first visit to Madeira was in 1478, as in those times Funchal was an important sugar trade centre. However, his closest ties to the archipelago are resulting from his marriage to Filipa Moniz, daughter of the first captain-donee of Porto Santo.

Columbus lived in the archipelago during the last quarter of the 15th century and his first child Diogo was born in Porto Santo. This festival recalls the discoverer’s life in the Madeira Archipelago, his voyages to the Americas and the glorious times of the Great Discoveries.

The highlight of this week crammed with history is the re-enactment of Columbus’ and his party’s arrival in Porto Santo’s harbour.


October 09
November 09


December 09 – January 10

Christmas and New Year’s Activities

Christmas lights in Madeira – December 1st to January 6th

Christmas and the end of the year celebrations are deeply rooted in the traditions of the people of Madeira and a varied programme of cultural, folk and artistic events can be enjoyed in Funchal’s centre. The festive season starts in Madeira in November when the colourful illuminations are switched on in the city’s main streets and lasts all through December to end only with Epiphany on January 06th.

Already from mid-November on Funchal’s streets are magnificently decorated with innumerable colourful lights put up in motifs relating to the island and the festive season.

New Year’s Eve is celebrated everywhere on the island, in hotels, restaurants, bars, and even in the streets. The highlight of the New Year’s Eve festivities are spectacular fireworks – set off from approximately 50 posts – that illuminate the skies over Funchal for the duration of about ten minutes. This is a truly unforgettable event, which brings back a multitude of visitors to the island each year.