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Funchal has something on almost every month
Madeira's capital is small, but its calendar is full. The big festivals take over the city centre, the seafront and the Old Town, and most events are free to watch from the street. Exact dates change every year, so check the official calendar on visitmadeira.com before you plan around one.
February or March: Carnival
Funchal's Carnival follows the Easter calendar, so it falls in February or March. The highlight is the big allegorical parade through the city centre on the Saturday night before Carnival Tuesday — floats, costumes and samba groups — followed on the Tuesday by a more satirical, home-made parade where anything goes.
April or May: the Flower Festival
The Festa da Flor celebrates spring a few weeks after Easter. Children build the "Wall of Hope" out of flowers in the city centre, the streets fill with flower carpets and stalls, and the weekend ends with a large floral parade through Funchal.
June: the Atlantic Festival
Through June, the Atlantic Festival brings concerts and street performances to Funchal, and on Saturday nights a fireworks competition lights up the bay. The seafront and the hills above the city are the best places to watch.
August: the Rally and the Monte pilgrimage
In early August the Rally Vinho Madeira brings racing cars and crowds to the island's mountain roads. On 15 August, Monte celebrates its patron saint with a traditional pilgrimage to the Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, high above Funchal.
Late August to September: the Wine Festival
The Madeira Wine Festival marks the grape harvest, with folk music, tastings and stalls in the city centre and harvest celebrations in the vineyards west of Funchal.
December and New Year: lights and fireworks
From early December to early January Funchal is covered in Christmas lights. On 23 December the farmers' market stays open into the night for the Noite do Mercado, one of the liveliest evenings of the year, and on New Year's Eve the fireworks over the bay — once listed by Guinness World Records as the largest fireworks display in the world — are watched from every balcony and viewpoint in the city.
During the big festivals, central streets close and parking disappears. A tuk tuk can drop you close to the action and pick you up afterwards — and on Christmas evenings it is the best seat in town for the lights.
Not here during a festival?
There is always something to see. The Mercado dos Lavradores, the painted doors of the Old Town and the viewpoints above the bay are worth a visit any day of the year — our Funchal city tour by tuk tuk covers them in one ride.
