Book today: Madeira Tours on Madeira Atlantic Festival Fireworks.

The Madeira Atlantic Festival is held in June and it is becoming one of the most important events in Madeira Island. It starts on the 4th of June, with the inauguration of the 1st Display of Vintage and Classic Motorbikes in the Infoarte space of the Tourism Board.

This year the programme includes a wide number of events, such as: fireworks and musical displays on Saturday nights in Funchal harbour; the III Exposition of Vintage and Classic cars, displayed along the central area of Avenida Arriaga; the XXII Classic Car Rally 2009, a special race where classic cars ride around the island; street entertainment with philharmonic bands and other performances; the traditional popular saints festivities like the “Festa de São João”; the XXX Madeira Festival Music, with several classical music and dance concerts in Funchal city.

Here is the programme of cultural events for June:

4th June
6 p.m - “1st Exhibition of Vintage and Classic Motorbikes” - Infoarte Space of the Tourism Board, until 27th of June

7 p.m - Concert/performance by the Wind Band of the Artistic Education Department (GCEA), in Avenida Arriaga
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: “Sete Lágrimas”, Santa Clara´s Church

5th June
7 p.m - Concert/performance by the Brass Quintet of the Artistic Education Department (GCEA), in Avenida Arriaga
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: José Manuel Dapena, at Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre

6th June
5 pm - 10 p.m - Performance by the Funchal Municipal Band in the city centre
10:30 pm - Madeira Fireworks and Musical Display Contest, outside docking area of Funchal Port (20 minutes long)
Italy - Company: Parente Fireworks

9th June
3rd Exhibition of Vintage and Classic Cars - Avenida Arriaga, until 23 June

11th June
9:30p.m - Madeira Music Festival: Avan Yu, Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre

12th June
7 p.m - Concert/ performance by the Clarinet Ensemble of the Artistic Education Department (Gabinete Coordenador de Educação Artística- GCEA), Avenida Arriaga
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: John Holloway and Marieke Spaans, Colégio Church

13th June
5 p.m to 10 p.m - Performance by Funchal District Band in the city centre
10:30 p.m - Madeira Fireworks and Musical Display Contest, outside docking area of Funchal Port (20 minutes long)
Russia - Company: Pyrotechnic Yards of Peterhof

19th June
St. John´s Altars with celebrations and revelry, until 24th June (Rua da Figueira Preta, Rua da Conceição, Travessa dos Reis, Praça do Carmo and Rua da Cooperativa)
7 p.m - Concert/ performance by the Wind Band of the Artistic Education Department (Gabinete Coordenador de Educação Artística- GCEA), Avenida Arriaga
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: Concert given by Georgian Ortodox Christian Choir, Colégio Church

20th June
5 p.m to 10 p.m - Performance by Funchal District Band in the city centre
10:30 pm - Madeira Fireworks and Musical Display Contest, outside docking area of Funchal Port (20 minutes long)
Germany - Company: IP Innovative Pyrotechnick GmbH

21st June
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: Piano Concert given by Moscow Quartet , Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre.

23rd June
St John´s Traditional Parade- 9 p.m - Itinerary: Igreja de São Pedro, Rua das Pretas, Rua da Carreira and Rua de São João

24th to 26th June
22nd Tour of Madeira - Classic Rally 2009
1st Stage - 24th June - Opening Event - from 7 p.m to 10 p.m - Avenida Arriaga (Funchal)
2nd Stage - 25th June - Pico Areeiro - Santana - São Vicente
3rd Stage - 26Th June - Ponta do Pargo - São Vicente

25th June
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: Michala Petri, presenting “East meets West”, Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre

26th June
7 p.m - Concert/ performance by the Accordion Orchestra of the Artistic Education Department (Gabinete Coordenador de Educação Artística- GCEA), Avenida Arriaga
9:30 p.m - Madeira Music Festival: “Noite de Zarzuelas” by Madeira´s Ballet Company and Madeira´s Classical Orchestra, Madeira Congress Centre ( Auditório do Casino da Madeira).

27th June
5 p.m - 10 p.m - Performance by Funchal Municipal Band in the city centre
10:30 p.m - Closing Madeira Fireworks and Musical Display (not part of the competition), with the Madeira´s Classical Orchestra, performing live from outside docking area of the Port of Funchal (20 minutes long)
Portugal - Company: Macedos Pirotecnia

In April Madeira will be full of activities which are part of the International Year of Astronomy.

From the 20th to the 24th of April 2009 there will be an exhibition entitled "Astronomy Book Week" in the exhibition hall of Madeira University.

On the 24th of April next to the Casa do Areeiro, in Parque Ecológico of Funchal - Achada Grande, just below Pico do Areeiro, there will be a session to observe and count the “Lyrids meteor shower”, using radio and optics. The observation of this phenomenon will not only be with the naked eye, but you will be able to use other more specialized instruments, such as binoculars and telescopes etc.

Source: Madeira Tourism Board Newsletter

Funchal market place has been a tourist attraction since its beginning, mainly due to the tidy fruits and vegetables on the willow baskets but also to its fishery where one gets to know many different species.

Now Funchal City Hall is organizing some thematic fairs every Thursdays so the Market Place gets even more interesting on those days. Following is the themes of the fairs:

• 1st Thursday of each month - Antiques fair
• 2nd Thursday of each month - Madeira gastronomy fair
• 3rd Thursday of each month - Craftwork fair
• 4th Thursday of each month - Second-hand books fair

If you are thinking about visiting the Market place, Thursday is a good day for it!

1 July - Day of the Region - Bank holiday in Madeira Islands.
The political Autonomy of Madeira, established in the Portuguese Constitution of 1976, is commemorated around the island. This day is celebrated with several activities as: Cannon fire in the morning; Ceremony in the Regional Assembly; Placing of flowers at the Autonomy Statue by the Region’s officials; Te Deum in the Cathedral.

3 to 5 July - Funchal Jazz - Funchal
Jazz concerts will take place in Quinta Magnolia gardens where international well known musicians will be performing. Other jazz entertainment performances are programmed for a number of bars and hotels in the city.

3 to 6 July - The Sea Week - Porto Moniz
For several days, the seafront of Porto Moniz, including the famous natural pools, shall be the stage for several types of nautical activities, such as sports competitions and revelry, bringing together population from all over the Region.

4 to 6 July - Regional Folklore Festival - 48 hours dancing - Santana
This unusual festival brings together all regional folklore dancing groups who perform throughout 48 consecutive hours, in Santana city. This is also a good opportunity to try a variety of gastronomic specialties, culture and traditions of this council. There are outdoor stands where food and drink is served, in a very lively atmosphere.

11 to 13 July - 53rd Livestock and Agribusiness Fair - Porto Moniz
Organised for the first time in 1955 in order to encourage development of animal rearing, this has become a rural event of particular importance to the Region. Various exhibits of animals and objects related to local farming are available for visitors to see in Santa - Porto Moniz. This takes place in a rural environment, and there are many outdoor stands providing home-made bread, espetada (meat roast on the spit) and drinks.

19 to 20 July - 5th Regional Banana Exhibition - Madalena do Mar
The parish of Madalena do Mar is the venue for the Regional Banana Exhibition. This event, with several forms of revelry, is held in honour of one of the most important local agricultural products: the Madeira banana.

20 July - 5th Traditional Madeira Fishing Boat Regatta - Funchal
Funchal bay will be the scenery for the 5th Traditional Madeira Fishing Boat Regatta, which will start at 4 pm. The regatta course starts at Funchal pier and ends in Barreirinha, in the old part of the city. This annual event brings together “sea folk” from and outside the city and is part of the commemorations marking the 500th anniversary of Funchal city.

23rd July - Madeira International Athletics Meeting - Ribeira Brava
This is an athletics event, promoted by the Athletics Association of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. It is held in the Madeira Sports Centre, located at Ribeira Brava, on the West Coast.

23 to 26 July - Roots of the Atlantic (Raízes do Atlântico) Festival - Funchal
This is a traditional music festival with the participation of national and international artists within the area of World Music, as well as the best groups of traditional music from Madeira. The festival shall take place at the Municipal Garden auditorium in Funchal, with concerts starting at 9:30 pm every day.

31 July to 2 August - Madeira Wine Rally
This is one of the most important trials of the European Championship, and the most important sport event in the region. World-famous rally drivers bring their cars to this competition. Thousands of people fill the mountain slopes in order to find a good spot to watch the cars speeding.

Source: Madeira Tourism Board Newsletter