Culture in Madeira

Although better known as a destination of natural rare beauty, the archipelago of Madeira has a lot to offer in terms of culture and entertainment. In addition to the various tourist events that make the region come alive throughout the year, the island of Madeira has many cultural festivals. The highlights among them are the Madeira Music Festival, the Regional Meeting of the Philharmonic Bands of Madeira, the Roots of the Atlantic Festival, the Madeira Organ Festival, the Jazz Festival, the Madeira Film Festival and the DIG MADEIRA Festival.

For those who like reading, the island also hosts a literary festival, in late summer. The Book Fair takes place in the centre of Funchal. With regard to popular culture, some of the tourist highlights include the Feast of Harvest, where the participant is asked to develop activities typical of the region and some meetings to promote folklore where visitors are challenged to experience the popular culture.

In addition to this, the Region has an array of historical and cultural museums, with a variety of interactive exhibitions that allow visitors to be informed in a fun way about the local culture and traditions. Among them, the Madeira Theme Park in Santana, and Madeira Story Centre, in the Old Town. Enjoy and discover this older part of the town: an authentic open-air museum.