Madeira Wine Festival

The Madeira Wine Festival is one of the main tourist attractions that pays tribute to this precious nectar and its undeniable socio-economic significance. Taking place during the grape harvest in late August, early September, this event aims to recreate the old traditions of Madeira, which were developed over centuries of labour in viticulture.This event begins in Funchal and includes European Folklore Week, ornamentations, exhibitions and live portraits depicting wine and its crafts and light and traditional music performances.
This Festival culminates in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, with the Wine Harvest Festival. See www.madeiranow.org for a full schedule.
Estreito de Câmara de Lobos
On Saturday morning all attention is focused on Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, where the Wine Harvest Festival takes place. The harvest takes place on a Madeiran farm, followed by an ethnographic parade with the participation of a large number of folklore and ethnography groups. After the parade, the treading of the grapes is re-enacted – participation is free – using a traditional press in a festive atmosphere with lots of musical entertainment and regional cuisine.
Street Entertainment
The city centre of Funchal, especially the central walkway of Avenida Arriaga, will be filled with various adornments comprising several viticulture tools (presses, casks, barrels, grape picking baskets, traditional means of transportation), living portraits and actors who re-enact the winemaking process in Madeira (grape pressing, re-enactment of the regional craftsmen traditional customs), food, Madeira wine tastings and exhibitions and regional handicrafts apart from local folklore groups performances.
To follow up all the activities integrated in the Madeira Wine Festival official programme go to: www.madeiranow.org