12 Doubts about Madeira Flower Festival you should clarify
Home » Madeira events » 12 Doubts about Madeira Flower Festival you should clarifyThis post contains all the information you want to know about 2021 Madeira Flower Festival. I’ll add content regularly, so be sure to check for updates. (Last updated on 30.10.21).
When people think about the Madeira Flower Festival, they imagine a happy and colourful event. Nevertheless, there are still many important questions that are not found answered anywhere. So, today I want to share the best advice and answers to all frequently asked questions about the Flower Festival in Madeira. And you won’t want to miss anything, that’s for sure!
The questions I often get asked are:
1. What is the Madeira Flower Festival?
2. When is the Flower Festival?
3. What time does the parade begin and finish? How long does the parade last?
4. How long before do you need to find a position to stand? Is there a bus we can catch? Will taxis be working?
5. Where would be the best place to get a good view of the parade?
6. Flower Festival tickets: where can I book a seat for the flower grandstand? How much is a ticket?
7. Where do we need to go to see flower carpets and the Wall of Hope?
8. How do we find the schedule of the Flower Festival?
9. COVID-19 — Will the Flower Festival go ahead?
10. On average, what is the weather like in Funchal in October?
11. When is the flower festival next year?
12. Is it worth going to the flower festival?
To answer that, keep reading, but first, let me tell you:
1. What is the Madeira Flower Festival?
The Madeira Flower Festival is an annual event that attracts hundreds of spectators worldwide and is one of the most beautiful events you may ever see!
This glorious Flower Festival celebrates the start of Spring and the lush growth of plants, which is more intense in Madeira because of the subtropical climate.
The preparations begin many months before, with the festival theme, fabrics and flowers choice and the design of the costumes, flower carpets, and floats. After that, a lot of work goes into making the decorations, costumes, and the dancer’s training.
How do we celebrate?
Madeira is very busy for most of the season. The celebration starts on Saturday. Thousands of children gather in Praça do Município Square to take part in the “construction” of the flower wall — the Wall of Hope. On the second day, there is a magnificent parade with dancers dressed up in flower costumes and a display of dozens of allegorical floats covered with a sea of flowers and foliage. It is stunning!
Other activities during this time include making flower carpets in the streets, folklore performances, flower exhibitions, workshops, classical music concerts, and a street market.
One weekend after the Grand Parade, Flower Groups perform in specific locations with stands. Usually, there is a classic car parade, still in context with the flower theme.
There is a contest for the best shop window decoration with flowers, flower exhibitions placed in strategic locations in many villages around the island and flower displays in the hotels.
Come and experience Spring in the Autumn. You can’t miss it.
2. When is the Flower Festival?
Because of the pandemic, the dates have changed in 2020-21 but will continue as usual two weeks after Easter.
This year’s Funchal Flower Festival will be held from October 1st to 24th, with the theme “Madeira, Garden of Hope”.
- The two main parades are always held on the first weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and should not be missed.
- The children’s parade and the Wall of Hope is on Saturday 2nd from 10:00.
- The main parade is on Sunday 3rd at 16:00.
3. What time does the parade begin and finish? How long does the parade last?
The Sunday parade starts at 16:00 and ends around 18:00. Depending on the number of participants, it lasts about two and a half hours to three hours from one end to the other (1.5 kilometres).
4. How long before do you need to find a position to stand? Is there a bus we can catch? Will taxis be working?
Kindly note that there are no standing places, so everyone must remain seated.
If you are unsure when to walk into the city on Sunday to see the parade and do not want to miss it, you need to arrive 30 minutes earlier. It will depend on your hotel’s location and the transportation you will use to get there, to understand when you should leave.
Some hotels offer courtesy buses, so ask the times at the reception.
There are frequent buses on the main road in the hotel area. Any bus marked “centro” will take you to the city centre. Before and during large events, public transportation is often cancelled or diverted, and some roads close during the parade. Ask the reception for the time and location of the bus stops.
It may be challenging to get a taxi or bus to return to the hotel because many people will want to catch one after the parade.
5. Where would be the best place to get a good view of the parade?
There are only two options to watch it on Sunday afternoon:
- Comfortably seated on the grandstand.
-
Standing with the crowds, free, with the inconvenience of having people in front of you limiting visibility and fatigue because of the time standing;
Note: please check number 9 on this post for the COVID-19 measures update.
Best place to be? Anywhere along the route. There are stand seats at various points between the Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira (near the Cable car station, in the Old Town), where it starts, Avenida do Mar (seafront) and Avenida Sá Carneiro (near the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum), where it ends.
6. Madeira Flower Festival tickets: where can I book a seat for the flower grandstand? How much is a ticket?
To attend the Great Allegoric Flower Parade, you need to purchase tickets for the stands. These are available in several places:
- Tourist Information Office in the centre of Funchal, but they will soon sell it out.Associação de
- Animação Geringonça: bancadasgeringonca@gmail.com
- Retoiça – Associação Cultural, Desportiva e Recreativa: madeiratribune@gmail.com
- Associação de Batucada da Madeira: batucadamadeira@gmail.com
- If requested in advance, your hotel may arrange for you.
It costs 30 Euros per seat and includes a bottle of water and a hat.
Your ticket will have a stand and seat number, which will help find the exact spot where you need to go.
7. Where do we need to go to see flower carpets and the wall of flowers?
They lay out the flower carpets along the Avenida Arriaga, between the fountain roundabout at the bottom of Santa Catarina Park and the Cathedral. If you encounter any difficulty finding it, ask anyone for the directions.
The Wall of Hope Ceremony usually begins at Avenida Arriaga and involves hundreds of children. They walk from there to the “Praça do Município”, where the parade ends.
The “Praça do Município” (Municipal Square), and the “Largo do Colégio” (Colégio Square) are both the same square with two different names.
8. How do we find the schedule of the Flower Festival?
For those who visit Madeira to witness this rare beauty event, here’s a helpful Flower Festival information:
- The inauguration of the contest of flowers growers, the flower arrangements exhibition and the flowers carpets are always on Friday.
- The Wall of Hope is always on Saturday.
- The Parade is always on Sunday.
If you want to avoid missing anything and want to know what’s going on, where and when, and the things to look for in Funchal besides the parade, here’s a detailed programme of events for this year’s flower festival.
Madeira Flower Festival information October 2021:
1st to 24th | 10:00 – 20:00 | Exhibits and Entertainment | Avenida Arriaga and Praça da Restauração
- Flower Market and regional cuisine (no alcohol)
- Flower Exhibition
- Embroidery or handicraft Exhibitions
- Concerts
- Traditional music (Folklore)
- Floral carpets
Beautiful carpets of fresh flowers along Avenida Arriaga are made by various hotel groups, companies, associations, and parishes. It originated from the decoration of religious processions.
Tips:
- You can watch the making of the flower carpets in Avenida Arriaga on the Friday morning before the inauguration.
- On the same avenue, you will find the Municipal Garden, which is worth looking at.
Traditional music (Folklore) | Avenida Arriaga
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday | 11:00 and 15:00
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday | 11:00
Concerts | Avenida Arriaga in the Concert Pavillion
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday | 18:00
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday | 15:00 – 19:00
1st to 9th | 10:00 – 19:00 | Madeira Embroidery Exhibition | Handicraft Pavilion
2nd | 10:00 – 13:00 | The Wall of Hope Ceremony | Praça do Município
Saturday morning, schoolchildren walk to the Praça do Município (Municipal square), to place their flowers in a vertical ‘Wall of Hope’ and release white doves as a symbol of hope and peace for the future. They usually demolish the wall of Hope after the Sunday Parade.
2nd | 18:00 | Flower Festival Concert | Madeira Casino Congress Centre
Madeira Classic Orchestra, Guest Maestro : Gianluca Marcianò
Soloist: Ekaterina Mochalova (Domra and mandolin).
Please note: Mandatory:
1. Antigen Rapid Test, with NEGATIVE result, to be performed free of charge in Pharmacies, Laboratories or Private Clinics, subject to the indication of Event Code n.º 100303, up to 48 hours before the start of the Concert.
2. Face mask during the Concert, hand hygiene and physical distance. +info here
3rd | 16:00 | Great Allegoric Flower Parade | Avenida do Mar — Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro
The Madeira Flower Festival Parade is a spectacular sight. Twelve groups of dancers accompany each float, totalling some 1200 participants, all in amazing costumes. The number of flowers is unbelievable. You will need to be at least 30 minutes earlier to get to your place.
Tips:
- Floats exhibition – The floats are displayed after the parade till the next day (Oct 4th at 18:00) in different locations along the seafront. It is astonishing.
- You can plan to go on a tour on Sunday morning. It will make you walk and avoid sitting for long periods, like during the afternoon parade. You can still get off at Funchal for lunch and attend the parade. You can book the tours I recommend hereunder:
3rd | 18:30 | Madeira Mandolin Orchestra Concert | Madeira Legislative Assembly Hall in Avenida do Mar
Note: The oldest mandolin orchestra in Europe (date of creation) and the youngest (according to the age of the performing members). COVID-19 measures: Use of masks and distancing. No TRAG antigen test is required. Tickets: 10 Euros from 10:00 on the day of the concert.
8th | 21:00 | Concert by the Empress Sissy Hungarian Salon Orchestra | Heliport
The tickets are free and available at the information desk at Avenida Arriaga. Limited capacity.
9th, 10th and 16th | starts at 15:00, 16:30 and 19:00 — Performance of the Flower Groups in the CR7 Square and Heliport
17th | starts at 15:00 and 16:30 — Performance of the Flower Groups in the CR7 Square and Heliport
There will be six shows each day, three at each location, starting at 15:00, 16:30 and 18:00 (except on the 17th: 4 shows, 2 on each location). Each show performed by the various groups of the grand parade lasts one hour.
The tickets are free and available at the information desk at Avenida Arriaga. Limited capacity.
10th to 24th | 10:00 – 19:00 | Madeira Handicraft Exhibition | Handicraft Pavilion
14th to 17th | 4 Flower Concerts | Gardens of Funchal and venues throughout the island
- 14th |19:00 | 1st Flower Concert | Quinta Magnólia gardens (The Grumpies)
- 15th |19:00 | 2nd Flower Concert | Pico dos Barcelos (Good Label Trio and Friends band)
- 16th | 17:00 | 3rd Flower Concert | Chão da Ribeira – Seixal (Quinteto Moritz)
- 17th |17:00 | 4th Flower Concert | Madeira Theme Park – Santana (Vânia Fernandes)
These concerts have the particularity of being performed in a unique and beautiful environment, surrounded by nature.
Tickets are available at: http://www.retoica.com with a limited seating capacity.
16th and 17th | 17:00 | Fashion show: Madeira Flower Collection | Quinta Magnólia gardens
This event showcases original fashion works by 18 designers inspired by flowers. Limited entry.
Last-minute updates are likely to be announced on the Madeira Tourism Official website, but I will keep this post updated. You can also check out this link: http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/what-to-do/events/search/flower-festival
We are offering a simple pdf (1 sheet with the whole programme) to download here: Madeira Flower Festival Calendar Oct 2021.
9. COVID-19 — Will the Flower Festival go ahead?
The flower festival will go ahead, especially as 85% of the Madeiran population will be vaccinated by October.
The Government will carry out measures to prevent and contain the pandemic:
- Entering the stands or enclosed areas (Flower Allegoric Parade (3rd) and Performances by Flower Groups (9, 10, 16 and 17th) requires people to undergo a negative antigen test for COVID-19 up to 48 hours in advance. The Secretary for Tourism and Culture calls for “common sense” in open spaces. How can I get a free antigen test? The entities selling the tickets will provide all the necessary information.
- Wearing a mask is mandatory.
Tip: Book in advance.
10. When is the flower festival next year?
According to the Visit Madeira website, the 2022 Flower Festival will be held from May 5th to 29th and in 2023 from April 27th to May 21st.
Madeira Flower Festival 2022: 5th to May 29th — Exhibits and Entertainment in downtown Funchal, May 7th — The Wall of Hope Ceremony, May 8th — Great Allegoric Flower Parade, May 14th — Madeira Flower Collection, 19th to 22nd — Flower concerts, 26th to May 29th — Flower sculptures
Madeira Flower Festival 2023: April 27th to May 21st — Exhibits and Entertainment in downtown Funchal, April 29th — The Wall of Hope Ceremony, April 30th — Great Allegoric Flower Parade, May 6th — Madeira Flower Collection, 11th to 14th May — Flower concerts, 18th to 21st May — Flower sculptures
11. On average, what is the weather like in Funchal in October?
It’s a lovely time of the year to visit Madeira. We have been fortunate with pleasant weather too (annual average: 20,9 °C). However, it may get a bit chilly on some days. In addition, if you like flowers, now is an excellent time to visit the gardens.
12. Is it worth going to the flower festival in Madeira?
Yes, it is worth it! The Flower Festival is the most famous event in Madeira, and you will experience a fantastic atmosphere and a fantastic spectacle. Like all events held in Madeira, the locals (Madeirans) will redouble their efforts so that everyone can enjoy it. If this is your first visit to Madeira, I believe this will not be your last. I know you will like this wonderful island.
It is the time of the year when nature’s paintbox is fully functional, making a more colourful Madeira.
Don’t forget your camera. It will be a fantastic month, not to be missed! Follow our social media pages for Madeira Flower Festival photos and more Flower Festival information. And please leave your opinion below or email us if you need help to plan your trip.
I hope you will be here! Enjoy your holiday and Madeira experiences.
