Carnival
5th – 8th March, 2011
– 5th March – Great Allegoric Parade
– 8th March – Fun Parade

The Carnival, or Mardi Gras, celebrations in Madeira take the form of a great parade of floats the Saturday before Shrove Tuesday and remain an essentially folk festival. Numerous Samba groups with thousands of participants in magnificent and colourful costumes dance to electrifying Samba music through the streets of Funchal, spreading an ambiance evoking the Carnival of Rio.

In this week of healthy madness the joy invades hotels, bars and clubs, and the main streets of Funchal city turning them into permanent parties. In an atmosphere of effusive revelry there are surprising examples of creativity and imagination and there is no shortage of daring caricatures in the Fun Parade costume parade on Shrove Tuesday.

April, 2011

TAP Open Madeira
30th March, 2011 – 3rd April, 2011
– 31st March – Practice day which will be played at both golf courses.
– 31st March – Cocktail
– 1st and 2nd April – Playing days
– 2nd April – Gala Dinner

Competition will be played strokeplay over 36 holes and players divided in 4 categories according to their EGA handicap.

May, 2011

Flower Festival
7th – 8th May, 2011
– 7th May – The Wall of Hope Ceremony (Children’s Parade)
– 8th May – Great Allegoric Parade

Madeira’s flowers are celebrated every Spring with a festival in their honour and in 2011 this celebration will take place in May.

During the “Festa da Flor” Funchal’s main streets are invaded by a procession of allegorical floats which display a huge array of flowers, filling the air with delicate perfumes. On the eve of the flower procession thousands of children gather in the Praça do Município where they lay flowers to build what is known as the “Wall of Hope”.

Apart from these events there are also other initiatives including the creation of flower carpets, the Flower Exhibition in Largo da Restauração, performances by folk groups, classical music concerts and a wide selection of entertainment.

Madeira Island Open (PGA European Tour) – Porto Santo Island
19th – 22nd May, 2011

Palheiro Open
29th May, 2011

Se Festival
end of May, 2011

Towards the end of May the centre of Funchal is the place to be on the island – this is when the typical Madeira “arraial” or street party is recreated. The streets and cafés terraces between the Praça do Município and the Igreja da Sé (Cathedral) are decorated and throb with people.

The restaurants in Rua de João Tavira, Rua do Bispo, Rua da Queimada de Cima, Rua da Queimada de Baixo and Rua dos Ferreiros all take part in this initiative so that all visitors have the opportunity to taste the local delicacies, snacks and traditional Madeira drinks.
As with all “arraias”, there are performances by philharmonic bands, student musical troupes and other musical groups providing constant entertainment every day.

The aim of the annual “Festas da Sé” is to provide the city with quality entertainment that brings alive its traditions and reinforces its cultural identity.

June, 2011

Every Saturday – Atlantic Festival
4th, 11th, 18th, 25th – Fireworks Contest

Taking place over the whole of the month of June, this event incorporates the Madeira Music Festival, the International Firework Competition as well as performances by various philharmonic bands. The programme includes classical music concerts, fireworks, dance and street performances.

Every Saturday night in June the bay of Funchal is the stage for firework displays combining strident sound and a wealth of colour with music from every country participating in the festival. The musical firework displays make Funchal vibrate and echo up the steep hillsides for 20 minutes, inspiring everybody who is able to enjoy this stunning spectacle.

Palheiro Golf – N’Joy Madeira
4th June, 2011

XXIV Classic Car Rally (FIVA World Rally)
dates to be confirmed

Palheira Open
dates to be confirmed

Royal Savoy Classic
dates to be confirmed

Ribeiro Big Game Fishing Tournament
dates to be confirmed

July, 2011

Funchal Jazz
July, 2011

In 2011, the city of Funchal will host another edition of Funchal Jazz. This is a momentous event on the international jazz festival circuit and an important cultural initiative that contributes towards the promotion and visibility of Madeira as a destination at a national and international level.

As always, Funchal Jazz presents a selection of internationally renowned musicians, occasioning cultured evenings in one of the city’s most emblematic gardens, Parque de Santa Catarina.

The festival attracts both locals and visitors, creating an inspiring atmosphere for many local musicians. This event is promoted by the Câmara Municipal do Funchal (Funchal Municipality) that seeks to stimulate and enrich the region’s cultural scene and the standard of performance with this initiative.

Blue Marlin World Cup
4th July, 2011

August, 2011

Madeira Wine Rally (European Rally Championship)
4th – 6th August, 2011

September, 2011

Madeira Wine Festival
1st – 4th September, 2011
– 1st – 4th September, 2011 – Shows & Exhibitons in Funchal
– 3rd September, 2011 – Live Harvest in  Estreito de Camâra de Lobos

Reflecting the socio-economic importance of Madeira wine, the “Festa do Vinho da Madeira”, which takes place at harvest time at the beginning of September, recreates old local traditions which have existed since the time of the early settlers.

In Estreito de Câmara de Lobos the fun begins with the harvest itself. Grape picking, processions of grape pickers, treading the grapes and the whole ritual of the typical Madeira street party are enjoyed with enthusiasm by all who take part in the festivities.
In the centre of Funchal there are various allegorical shows of sound, light and folklore related to wine and wine-making.

Columbus Festival – Porto Santo Festivites
15th – 17th September, 2011

October, 2011

Anniversary Salver
16th October, 2011

Gastronomy Week-end at Casa Velha with guest Chef
21st and 22nd October, 2011

Moynihan’s Open
23rd October, 2011

Oktoberfest Golf Week
27th October, 2011
– playing 27th, 30th, and 1st

Relais and Chateaux Golf Tournament
dates to be confirmed

November, 2011
Watch this space for ‘what’s on around in the island’ in November, 2011.

End of the Year Madeira Festivities
Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Exhibitions
25th November 2011 to 6th January 2012
– TBC December – Full lighting up of the Christmas lights and decorations
– 31st December – New Year’s Eve Firework Display
– TBC January 2012 – Epiphany and Closing Ceremony of the Festivities

Well established in the habits of the people of Madeira, Christian Christmas traditions lead into the celebrations that commemorate the arrival of the new year with a rich and varied programme of cultural, ethnographical and artistic events, beginning in November with the switching on of the lights in the streets in the centre of Funchal and continuing throughout December until Epiphany – the Twelfth Day of Christmas.

The high point is New Year’s Eve when the Funchal amphitheatre is transformed into a grandiose nativity scene illuminated with over 250 coloured lamps and the hillsides are pinpricked by white lights. The scene is set for an unforgettable spectacle.

At midnight on 31st December the skies are lit up with fire, colour and hope in the forthcoming year which could not get off to a better start – a moment already recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

Madeira Islands Walking Festival 2012

It is with disappointment that the Madeira Islands Walking Festival will not take place during 2011.  The reason for this is that it has not been possible to gather sufficient sponsorship to fund the event.

Watch this space – efforts are being made to reintroduce the walking festival in May or June, 2012.

Madeira Orienteering Festival 2012

It is with disappointment that the Madeira Orienteering Festival will not take place during 2011.  No reason has been given, but this event may return in 2012 and will probably be found under a different name.

Photographs of MOF2010 can be found by clicking here.