Colors of Madeira - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

The cultural life of Madeira is rich in different events. The fests and exciting events are held there almost every month. Most of the travelers prefer visiting the resort on the eve of New Year holidays. The preparation to the holidays starts in November. Daily parades and fairs, the performances of street artists and musicians, children’s performances and unforgettable pyrotechnic shows are the main entertaining events which one can visit during Christmas holidays.

After the New Year holidays the Madeira Walking Festival takes place. It is commonly held in the second part of January. The festival lasts for 5 days with the main events being costume parades or mask parades. One of the major cultural events of Madeira is the Carnival attracting the guests from all over the world. The main entertaining events take place in the capital of Madeira Funchal. The streets of Funchal are flooded with Samba dancers and musicians and host exciting mask parades during the Carnival. Anybody can participate in the festive parades. Having a carnival suit on is enough to be admitted to the festive march through the streets of the capital.

The Flower Festival is the same interesting and exciting national fest which is held in the heat of the spring. During the fest the sidewalks of all the cities are decorated with ingenious mosaic flower mats. These are hand twined and each flower mat is a genuine masterpiece. The festival is accompanied with engaging events and parades. The flower exhibitions are of immense popularity among tourists. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The exhibitions let the visitors enjoy the flowers of ultimate beauty as well as purchase desired plants. The brightest and most memorable event is considered to be Atlantic Festival which presents different sport competitions and entertaining events. The Funchal Jazz Festival attracts the music fans and the connoisseurs of dainty dishes will like the Machico Gastronomy Culinary Festival which takes place in the beginning of August

The end of the last spring month in Madeira is marked by a colorful festival dedicated to vintage cars called Madeira Classic Car Revival. Visitors are welcomed by the archipelago's capital of Funchal. At this time, you can see hundreds of beautiful retro cars exhibited in Praça do Povo. Apart from exhibitions, visitors to the festival have a great opportunity to cheer up for their favorite car at the Belle Epoque contest. Funchal, and more specifically, the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias, opens its doors to another great fest - the Madeira Film Festival, which takes place in early April. In addition to screenings of films of all genres and lengths (the main condition is the premiere), the event involves thematic tours, conferences, and meets-and-greets.

At the end of August, the Madeira Wine Festival starts in Funchal. As one might guess, it is dedicated to wine - the most popular alcoholic drink on the island. Besides tastings, the festival program includes traditional parades, folk music concerts, art exhibitions, and hand-made craft fairs. Restaurants and cafes prepare interesting programs for the festival - at least this applies to the special festive menu. The venue for the fest is Avenida Arriaga, and to enjoy folk music, you can go to Jardim Municipal do Funchal or the Centro Cívico de Santa Maria Maior.

For fans of active recreation and eco-tourism, the best period to visit the island is the beginning of October when themed tours with hiking, climbing, and mountain biking are organized throughout the archipelago during the Madeira Nature Festival. So that no one could get bored, the festival program is supplemented by folk music concerts, culinary tastings and masterclasses, and a fair presenting unique crafts made by real masters. Large cities of the island (Funchal, Machico, Porto da Cruz) host a wonderful event dedicated to organ music. This is the Madeira Organ Festival that takes place in mid-October. The venues are large churches in the above cities where musicians show all their organ playing skills.

Such a multifaceted festival as the NOS Summer Opening is dedicated to music in all its diversity. The venue is one of the island's most picturesque places - Parque de Santa Catarina located in the capital of Madeira. A fiery mix of reggae, funk, electronic music, hip-hop, soul is complemented by a wonderful outdoor recreation and a great gastronomic program, thanks to which one can taste local food. The festival so beloved by lovers of music and outdoor recreation takes place in mid-July.