Madeira Events 2024
Further information consult the Tourist Entertainment Calendars for Madeira Island
Table of Contents
Christmas Itinerary
This Christmas itinerary offers you the chance to experience Christmas in a different way, visiting some of the region’s cultural centres, museums, galleries and manor houses, and discovering what each of them has to offer.
Date: 05/12/2024 – 04/03/2024
Locality: Ribeira Brava
Panelo Feast
This is a famous old Madeiran tradition, held on the 21st of January, is enjoyed with a special feeling by the local residents of Seixal, a small village located near Porto Moniz.
Date: 27/01/2024 – 28/01/2024 / 8:00
Locality: Porto Moniz
Compadres Feast
The “Festa dos Compadres” marks the opening of the Carnival season in Madeira, a tradition dating back more than 50 years, which is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Santana, an event that will take place on 9,11,12 and 16 February.
Date: 02/02/2024 – 04/02/2024 / 12:00
Locality: Santana
Thematic fairs – Handcraft
The thematic fairs are held weekly, on Thursdays, and are divided into different areas: Antiques and Second-hand Books, Gastronomy, Crafts and Fashion, Costume Jewellery and Decoration.
Date: 11/01/2024 / 9:00
Locality: Funchal
Children’s Carnival
On the Friday morning before Carnival, about a thousand young revellers, coming from different educational institutions of Funchal, parade along the Central Promenade of Avenida Arriaga, wearing their Carnival costumes in an atmosphere full of fantasy and animation.
Date: 09/02/2024 – 10:30
Locality: Funchal
Solidarity Carnival
The city centre is once again decked out with another entertainment initiative that stands out for its originality and creativity. With contagious energy, hundreds of revelers from the Funchal Community Development Association parade along Avenida Arriaga to the Municipal Garden, where the show will take place.
Date: 09/02/2024 – 14:30
Locality: Funchal
Carnival Allegoric Parade
The highlight of the Carnival festivities takes place on Saturday evening with the exuberant Allegorical Parade. Approximately 1,500 extravagantly dressed revellers and more than a dozen merry floats are part of this parade. This carnival parade, brimming with glitter, colour, rhythm and lots of samba, attracts thousands of locals and tourists to the centre of Funchal in a true ode to revelry.
Date: 10/02/2024 – 20:00
Locality: Funchal
Slapstick Parade
On Shrove Tuesday there is another parade in Funchal known as “Cortejo Trapalhão”, which can be classified as satirical and based on cultural heritage. This parade represents the one that originally took place spontaneously along Rua da Carreira in the first half of the 20th century. The creativity of the participants knows no bounds and ranges from social and political satire, to traditional frames, to simple costumes.
Date: 13/02/2024 – 16:00
Locality: Machico
Thematic fairs – Fashion, Costume Jewelry and Decoration
The thematic fairs are held weekly, on Thursdays, and are divided into different areas: Antiques and Second-hand Books, Gastronomy, Crafts and Fashion, Costume Jewellery and Decoration.
Date: 23/02/2024 – 9:00 ???
Locality: Funchal
49th Edition – Book Fair
From 24 March to 2 April, Avenida Arriaga is the setting for the Book Fair, a cultural event in which most of Madeira’s bookshops and some Portuguese publishers take part.
Date: 24/03/2024 – 02/04/2024 ???
Locality: Funchal
Madeira Rum Festival
From 11 to 16 April, the fifth edition of the Madeira Rum Festival will be held at the Central Promenade of Avenida Arriaga. Organised by IVBAM, IP – RAM, the Madeira Rum Festival is a unique opportunity to taste and learn more about Madeira Agricultural Rum, in a series of activities and moments that vary between master classes, tastings, conversations with producers, pairings and even tastings of chocolates made with Rum. More Info here.
Date: 16/04/2024 – 21/04/2024 / 16:00
Locality: Funchal
Palheiro Gardens Golf Classic
We are pleased to announce a unique golf tournament on the island of eternal spring, join us to celebrate the flowers of Madeira at the third edition of the Palheiro Gardens Golf Classic! More info here.
Date: 03/05/2024 – 04/05/2024 / 8:00
Locality: Funchal
Allegoric Parade
On Sunday afternoon, the streets of the centre of Funchal are once again filled with music, colour and soft scents with the sumptuous parade of floats that harmoniously combine multiple floral species with creative decorations.
The Allegorical Parade of Flowers is one of the highlights of this event, which has been held since 1979. This parade stands out for the magnificence and sumptuousness of its floats, decorated with magnificent flowers, and for the beautiful costumes worn by the hundreds of participants, mostly children, who parade to the sound of lively musical themes and perform simple or elaborate choreographies. More info about flower festival.
Date: 05/05/2024 – 16:30
Locality: Funchal
Performances by the Flower Groups
The groups participating in the Flower Festival Parade will perform at the Heliport, showcasing their costumes and choreography. Spread over 3 days of 2 weekends, the performances celebrate flowers, beauty and joy in a festive atmosphere. Tickets for these shows are free and will be available at the Tourist Office, located on Avenida Arriaga, and limited to the capacity of the venue.
Date: 11/05/2024 – 19/05/2024 / 15:00 ???
Locality: Funchal
Madeira Flower Classic Auto Parade
Itinerary: Starts at Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses (north lane) until Praça da Autonomia do Mar, Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses (south lane), Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, Rotunda Harvey Foster (roundabout). Display in Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, until 18h30.
Date: 012/05/2024 – 16:30
Locality: Funchal
Flower concerts
Four musical concerts will take place in emblematic places of Madeira Island, with the purpose of decentralizing the festivities and reinforcing the entertainment offer, as part of the Flower Festival programme.
Date: 16/05/2024 – 19/05/2024 (17:00)
Locality: Funchal, Calheta, Santana
TransMadeira
This Endurance race combines an adventure in Madeira with the best of Mountain Biking! In the “Bike Camp Experience” athletes will camp each day in places of spectacular beauty.
Date: 21/05/2024 – 25/05/2024 / 7:00
Locality: Funchal, Calheta, Machico, Santana, São Vicente
Floral Installations
The diversity of Madeiran flora has greatly contributed to the establishment of these artistic manifestations, which combine the beauty of flowers with the characteristic elements of Madeiran tradition and culture. The floral sculptures are a great contribution to the magnificence of the city’s decorations, whose careful construction is shared and admired by our visitors.
Date: 23/05/2024 – 26/05/2024 / 10:00
Locality: Funchal
Onion Festival
he onion festival is one of the most emblematic festivities of Caniço, whose main attraction is the onion parade, involving several decorated floats and an auction, an event that takes place from 19 to 21 May.
Date: 19/05/2024 – 21/05/2024 (10:00) ???
Locality: Santa Cruz
Madeira Classic Car Revival
This event, which takes place in Praça do Povo on the last weekend of May, is organized by the Clube de Automóveis Clássicos da Madeira with the object of showcasing and rewarding the best and most elegant antique and classic vehicles in the Region. The Madeira Classic Car Revival contributes to the dissemination of the diversity and historical wealth of these numerous cars, in an atmosphere of great animation created for the occasion, enchanting the car enthusiasts.
Date: 24/05/2024 – 26/05/2024 (18:00)
Locality: Funchal
Sixteenth Century Market
Between 2nd and 4th June, Machico will host the 16th Century Market”, an event that evokes the historical period of the discovery of the island, which gained a prominent cultural status.
Date: 02/06/2024 – 04/06/2024 (10:00) ???
Locality: Machico
Cherry’s Fest
Festival held annually in the parish of Jardim da Serra, with the objective of promoting the culture and commercialisation of the cherry and, on the other hand, the economic and touristic potential of the locality where it takes place. The cherry is a fruit which cultivation is predominant in the upper part of the parish of Jardim da Serra, although in the past large quantities could also be found in the parish of Curral das Freiras.
Date: 09/06/2024 – 11/06/2024 (07:00) ???
Locality: Câmara de Lobos
Porto Santo Municipal Festivities – Saint John’s Festivities
The São João festivities are the biggest tourist attraction on the island, as they represent the genuine traditions of a people with their own culture.
Date: 15/06/2024 – 25/06/2024 ???
Locality: Porto Santo
Folklore Festival – 24 horas a Bailar
For several decades, the folklore festival “24 Horas a Bailar” presents various folklore groups from the Island and all over the country.
In the town of Santana, thousands of emigrants plan their annual return to the Island for this time of year. In the emblematic house of Santana you can breathe ethnography in every corner.
Date: 01/07/2024 – 02/07/2024 ???
Locality: Santana
Limpets Festival
Festa da lapa (limpets – very popular mollusc in Madeira) is a recent event that aims to bring together locals, tourists and all those who would like to taste this traditional delicacy.
The sunny village of Paul do Mar (fishing village) puts on the colours of the so-called “Arraiais” for three consecutive nights, hosting musical bands and local business stalls where you can taste the typical flavours. The “Lapas” (limpets in Portuguese), of course, are the main ingredient!
Date: 14/07/2024 – 16/07/2024 (15:00) ???
Locality: Calheta
Classics at Magnolia
The annual “Classics at Magnolia” event is back with its third edition scheduled for the last weekend in July.
The atmosphere given by the XIX century building is perfect for the exhibition of classic vehicles, transporting the whole space to the decades when classic cars and motorbikes came out of the factories, in a mix of contemporaneity and elegance.
Date: 27/07/2024 – 28/07/2024 (10:00)
Locality: Funchal
Madeira Wine Lounge
The Madeira Wine Lounge, in Praça do Povo, is a privileged place for visitors to enjoy wine and gastronomy tasting to the sound of regional musical groups of different genres. This venue has five specific areas: Madeira Wine Producers (12), with an emphasis on tasting Madeira Wines, liqueurs and still wines, an area dedicated to gastronomy, where you may taste the delicacies of Chef Júlio Pereira, another dedicated to live music and DJ’s, an area dedicated to the “Madeira Wine Cycle” organised by the Madeira Wine, Embroidery and Handicraft Institute, and another area, new to this edition, dedicated to the Commemoration of Madeira Wines, a privileged place which will include masterclasses and conversations with the producers present there.
Date: 25/08/2024 – 15/09/2024 (18:00)
Locality: Funchal
Grape and Farmer Festival
The grape and farmer’s festival is organised every year, scheduled September in 2024.
This parish hosts the Grape and Farmer Festival every year from 2 to 3 September, an event that portrays the importance of this ancestral wine-growing tradition.
Date: 02/09/2024 – 03/09/2024 (10:00) ???
Locality: Machico
Estreito’s Wine Harvest Festival
The Grape Harvest Festival gathers thousands of inhabitants and tourists every year in the first fortnight of September in the village of Estreito. A fundamental poster for promoting Madeira as a destination, this festival recreates the hard but joyful work of the grape harvest, an essential stage in preparing the way for the population to enjoy the island’s most famous product, its wine. The gastronomic aspect is also present in these festivities, always accompanied by strong musical entertainment by various regional and national bands.
Date: 09/09/2024 (10:00) ???
Locality: Câmara de Lobos
Concerts in the Vineyards
A series of musical concerts taking place in different locations in the region, in a winery and in sunset settings, to be held after the peak of the heat, when the aromas intensify. It includes live musical performances and tasting of fortified wines produced on site.
Access is restricted to a limited number of spectators.
Date: 07/09/2024 – 15/09/2024 / 17:00
Locality: São Vicente, Calheta, Ribeira Brava
Columbus Festival
The Columbus festival is just one of the many good reasons that will make you visit the so-called ‘Golden Island’.
With a totally different landscape, Porto Santo is known for having one of the most beautiful beaches in the country with its crystal clear waters and therapeutic golden sand.
Date: 19/09/2024 – 22/09/2024 (15:00)
Locality: Porto Santo
Madeira Organ Festival
This cultural event – the Madeira Organ Festival – consists of a set of various concerts, led by nationally and internationally renowned organ masters.
Date: 01/10/2024 – 31/10/2024 (21:30) ???
Locality: Funchal, Machico, Ponta do Sol
Nature Festival
Between walks along the levadas that almost border the entire island, descents by waterfalls in the mountains along the northern coast, bicycle rides along forest trails and learning about our cultural and historical roots, the Nature Festival is a tribute to the archipelago’s natural heritage, where the Laurissilva forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, is also a must.
Date: 01/10/2024 – 06/10/2024 (10:00)
Ultra Madeira
AARAM – Association of Athletics of the Autonomous Region of Madeira is the organizer of the so-called “ULTRA MADEIRA” event, 6th edition, which will take place in 2024, with absolute respect for the environment. More info.
Date: 27/04/2024 – 28/04/2024
Locality: Machico
Christmas Lights Switch On
This is the day when the festive lights are switched on. Residents and tourists alike take to the streets to enjoy the magic of Christmas lighting.
Date: 01/12/2024 – 07/01/2025 / 18:00
Locality: Funchal
Christmas Traditional Nights
True Madeiran Christmas traditions are displayed in different places all over the island on different dates. The best known is the market night at the Mercado dos Agricultores in Funchal on the 23rd of December.
Date: 01/12/2024 – 23/12/2024
Locality: Funchal, Calheta, Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Santa Cruz, Santana, São Vicente
Christmas Market
The Christmas Market features several decorated stalls offering tourists a wide range of regional products, handicrafts and typical foods of the Christmas season, including plants, fruits, sugar cane honey and its by-products, just to take away.
Date: 01/12/2024 – 05/01/2024 / 10:00 ???
Locality: Funchal
Childbirth Masses (Missas do Parto)
From the second half of December until Christmas Eve, Madeirans get up at dawn to participate in masses in honour of Our Lady.
Date: 15/12/2024 – 23/12/2024
Locality: Machico
New Year’s Eve Show
The fireworks show for New Year’s Eve lasts about eight minutes and is spread over 59 fireworks stations located in Funchal’s amphitheatre (27 stations), Pier 8 and Almirante Reis Beach (25 stations), at sea (5 stations) and Porto Santo Island (2 stations).
This great show, with pyrotechnic effects that combine the most modern designs, will present effects not yet seen on New Year’s Eve in the Region.
Date: 31/12/2024 – 01/01/2024 (23:59)
Locality: Funchal, Porto Santo