Flower Festival in Madeira: what not to miss !!

FLOWER FESTIVAL IN MADEIRA: WHAT NOT TO MISS !!  

 

The Flower Festival is one of the most beautiful events on Madeira island. The celebration lasts almost a month and the theme is flowers, spring and the fertility of life; here it seems to be reborn with new colours, just like the seasons.
The atmosphere during this season is one of fresh, enchanting and contagious beauty. At the Flower Festival you can fall in love with thousands of natural flowers which are on display in floral street carpets, parades, markets, arrangements, murals and of course, in PortoBay hotels.
What should you (really) not miss at the Flower Festival ? Here are some suggestions . ..

Flower Float Parade

Watch the floats parade along Avenida do Mar, from Praça da Autonomia to Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, Rotunda Harvey Foster. For approximately two hours, these avenues are filled with festival-goers, mainly children, who bring flowers, music, beauty and dancing to the streets. The floats accompany the parade with floral decorations and fun, and interact with the crowds. Thirteen troupes offer their creativity. Once the music, dresses, flowers and choreography have been chosen, the magic happens in the Parade. It has been held since 1979 and is undoubtedly the highlight of the Flower Festival.

Flower Show

There are thousands of flowers on display from all over the world, thanks to the island’s amenable climate. The Flower Show is a tradition dating back to the 1950s, when it was held at the Funchal Commercial Athenaeum. The Praça do Povo is now the square used for this event and Madeira growers display their flowers here. The flowers are judged and the best specimens awarded prizes by a jury. You can marvel at the perfect roses, proteas, gerberas and many others, all perfectly arranged on benches, street corners and halls. The perfume, colour and grace of the flowers makes a big impression on visitors.

Madeira Classic Car Parade

This parade combines classic cars with the beauty of natural flowers and, like the Flower Float Parade, runs along Avenida do Mar, from Praça da Autonomia to Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, Rotunda Harvey Foster. This is a great opportunity to get to know these elegant and carefully preserved classic vehicles. At the end of the parade, the classic motorbikes and cars are on display in Avenida Sá Carneiro, which arouses even more interest.

Wall of Hope

In the centre of Funchal, in Praça do Município, children are invited to build a wall of flowers. Each child brings a flower, usually picked from their own garden, to build a mural which is an appeal for peace and is called the "Wall of Hope". This tradition is over 40 years old !!

Floral carpets

Throughout the festival, you can admire floral carpets meticulously arranged into colours, silhouettes, drawings or letters. They are laid out in the streets, especially in the pedestrianised areas of Avenida Arriaga. This is one of the Festival traditions which originated from the decoration of church processions. These are true works of floral art.

Flower Market

On Avenida Arriaga, throughout the festival, there is also a market selling flowers and typical delicacies from Madeira. This is a meeting point for locals and tourists who come here to socialise. Besides the flowers, food and drink and socialising, there are often outdoor music concerts and folk singing.

The beauty of Madeira’s flowers is unmistakable. Nature knows what it is doing and it is no coincidence that it chose Madeira to celebrate its abundance of flowers and natural attributes.
Come and celebrate the beauty of flowers in Madeira . .. Consult this year’s programme here and come and have fun with us at the Flower Festival !!