Madeira in September

Madeira Wine Festival

Madeira's harvest celebrations run from 22 August to 12 September 2027, confirmed in the regional tourism calendar. Funchal hosts wine tastings, music and European Folklore Week; Estreito de Câmara de Lobos holds the live harvest on 11 September. The published calendar is subject to change.

Sian Lesley Cabaret Dinner Show at The Ritz

Every Saturday night at The Ritz Madeira on Avenida Arriaga: a three-course dinner with wines, beer or soft drinks included until dessert, followed by a glittering cabaret show starring Sian Lesley, who began her career at the Moulin Rouge and the Lido de Paris, and dancing until late in the upstairs restaurant of one of Funchal's oldest grand cafés.

Live Karaoke Mondays with CRAFA

Every Monday night at Lust Vintage Irish Pub & Disco in Funchal's Old Town: karaoke hosted by CRAFA with DJ sets and live tunes, from 22:00 until midnight. Free entry, grab the mic, dance, or just watch with a drink.

Open Mic Jam Session at Local Pub

Acoustic open-mic jam every Tuesday from 20:30 at Local Pub in Funchal. Bring your instrument and play, singers and players of any level welcome, free entry.

Silent Disco Walking Tour, Funchal

A free headphone-led walking tour through central Funchal every Friday at 20:00, sightseeing, singing and dancing in the streets with guide Leila. Meets at the Jardim Municipal do Funchal, lasts about 1.5 hours, roughly 20 places per tour, so booking ahead is advised.

Festival New Generation

Classical and crossover music festival at the Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias in Funchal. The 10th edition closed on 9–11 September 2026 with the Banda Militar da Madeira and guest artists Carlota Correia, Francisco Jesus and Júlia Ochoa. Tickets around 10 €.

Madeira Embroidery Workshop at Bordal

Hands-on Madeira embroidery workshop with master artisans at Bordal – Bordados da Madeira in Funchal, learning the six traditional stitches that define the craft. Around 1.5 hours, 35 € per person, booking required.

Go Beyond Chakra Yoga

Outdoor chakra yoga session in the Jardim Panorâmico do Funchal above the Lido, an integrative hour of movement, breath and relaxation aimed at releasing tension and building strength. Around 15 € per class.

Dance Social at Beanup (Bachata, Kizomba & Salsa)

Free outdoor dance social at Beanup Specialty Coffee & Brunch by the Funchal marina, bachata, kizomba and salsa over the water, open to all levels, no partner needed. Evening sessions run from around 21:30.

Anne Frank – Memory, Conscience and Resistance

An intimate, close-quarters staging of The Diary of Anne Frank by ATEF, directed by Diogo Correia Pinto, at the Cine Teatro de Santo António in Funchal. A powerful exploration of memory, fear and hope in the secret annex, accompanied by an art installation at galeria.a and a colloquium. Reservations through ATEF.

Madeira Classical Orchestra – Opening Concert

The Madeira Classical Orchestra opens its 2026/2027 season at the Madeira Congress Centre, conducted by Gianluca Marcianò and featuring soprano Milica Strahinić. Tickets around 25 €.

KAUĒ – Chapter IV

Sunset beats, cliffside views and immersive art: KAUĒ Chapter IV lands at the MUDAS contemporary art museum in Calheta with live drums, visual installations, dance and deep electronic sets until midnight. Tickets from about 11.89 €.

CineMachico 2026 – Fool's Paradise

Saturday movie night in Machico: CineMachico 2026 screens Charlie Day's star-studded comedy Fool's Paradise (O Paraíso dos Tontos) at the Fórum Machico, part of a four-film weekend series celebrating international cinema.

Festa da Amora e da Doçaria Tradicional (Gaula)

Gaula's blackberry and traditional-sweets festival at the Mercado Agrícola de Gaula, blackberry liqueur and jam, home-baked island cakes and pastries, craft stalls, family activities and live music each evening. The 13th edition ran 11–13 September 2026; it returns to the same mid-September weekend each year.

Festas do Faial (Santana)

A proper north-coast arraial in the village of Faial, Santana: the parish church square and surrounding streets fill with grilled-meat and poncha stalls, folklore groups, a religious procession and open-air concerts running late into the night. 2026 edition: 11–12 September.

Festival Bicho d'Pêssego

Small classical-guitar festival in Funchal with free intimate concerts by Victor Teixeira, the MP Guitar Duo and the Funchal Guitar Quartet, staged in the Capela da Boa Viagem and a second city venue. 2026 edition: 11–12 September, free entry.

Live Fado with LUSA MUSA (Pura Vida)

An early evening of live fado and Portuguese song by LUSA MUSA at Pura Vida indoor playground and café, with wine and cocktails and a supervised play area so parents can listen. Free with registration; held on 11 September 2026, 18:00–20:00.

Anatomy of Code – Andriy Kyrychenko

Raw genetic data reimagined as live electronic sound and generative visual art. Andriy Kyrychenko's ANATOMY OF CODE is a 23-part audiovisual journey turning human DNA into a real-time performance, at the Centro Cultural John dos Passos in Ponta do Sol. Tickets 5 €.

Seixal Summer Fest

Three-day summer festival on the quay at Seixal on Madeira's north coast: live bands, folklore groups, local food and wine stalls, fishing tournaments and nautical activities by the sea, organised by the Junta de Freguesia do Seixal. 5th edition on 11–13 September 2026.

Mostra da Sidra (Santo da Serra Cider Festival)

Traditional late-September cider festival in Santo da Serra, organised by the Casa do Povo do Santo da Serra to coincide with the apple and pear harvest, tastings from local producers, folk music and regional food. The 32nd edition (XXXII Mostra da Sidra) is confirmed for 26–27 September 2026, the last weekend of September as usual.

Festa do Pêro (Apple Festival)

Rural apple harvest festival in Ponta do Pargo organised by the Casa do Povo, cider, apple cake, western-Madeira folk groups and a musical programme. 41st edition on 19–20 September 2026.

Columbus Festival (Festival Colombo, Porto Santo)

Four-day historical re-enactment in Vila Baleira on Porto Santo recreating Christopher Columbus's 15th-century stay on the island, period costumes, mock caravel arrival, medieval market, street theatre and concerts. Next edition 23 to 26 September 2027 (official events calendar).

Festa das Vindimas do Estreito (Estreito Grape Harvest Festival)

The live harvest in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos is confirmed for 11 September 2027 in the regional tourism calendar, part of the Madeira Wine Festival. Traditional grape-picking, foot-treading and folklore celebrate the harvest. Dates for the wider local festivities and the hour-by-hour programme are still to be announced.

Madeira Wine Lounge

The tasting hub of the Madeira Wine Festival, where the island's wine houses pour Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malvasia with live music. The official regional tourism calendar confirms 26 August to 12 September 2027; the detailed programme is still to be published.

Festa de Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Caniçal)

Caniçal's biggest festival and one of Madeira's most striking religious events. The parish keeps the same fixed date every year, the third Sunday of September, which makes it 19–20 September in 2026. A fleet of tuna boats and fishing craft carries the statue of Our Lady of Piety in a sea procession from Caniçal harbour along the Ponta de São Lourenço coast, and the image is then returned to the clifftop chapel on Pico da Piedade. Around it: the solemn mass in the parish church, a philharmonic band, and an arraial of espetada on bay-laurel skewers, bolo do caco, poncha and live bands in the village on both nights. Free to attend. In 2026 the tuna boat drawn to carry the image is the atuneiro 'Condor'.

Festa de Nossa Senhora da Luz (Ponta do Sol)

Ponta do Sol's arraial closes the south-west's festival season, held on the municipal holiday of 8 September within the wider Semana da Cultura Popular that runs from late August. The candlelit procession leaves the parish church for the pebble beach, followed by bands on the promenade, food stalls run by local associations and one of the friendliest, least touristy crowds on the island. Free entry; the ER101 down into the village is narrow, so arrive before sunset. The wider Festas da Ponta do Sol run from late August to 8 September, with free concerts on Avenida 1.º de Maio and Largo do Pelourinho and the Municipality Day session in Canhas on the 8th; the 2027 line-up is still to be announced.

Arraial do Senhor Bom Jesus (Ponta Delgada)

The north coast's great romaria and one of the most traditional arraiais on Madeira. Although the liturgical feast falls in January, the celebration is held on the first weekend of September in Ponta Delgada, when groups of romeiros walk in from parishes across the island to pay promises at the Senhor Bom Jesus sanctuary. Expect an all-night vigil, a huge procession, brass bands, fireworks over the sea and rows of espetada and poncha stalls. Free; the ER101 north-coast road and buses from Funchal via São Vicente are the usual approach. Weekend dates are set by the parish each year.

MEO Sons do Mar

Madeira's biggest mainstream music festival, staged in the natural amphitheatre of Parque de Santa Catarina above Funchal harbour, with the sea as a backdrop. Two nights of Portuguese headliners alongside Madeiran artists, from 20:00 each evening. The 2026 edition runs 4–5 September; tickets are sold through MEO Blueticket and Portuguese Sign Language interpretation is provided free with a ticket. The park is a 10-minute walk from the Funchal marina and cathedral, so most people arrive on foot.

Arraial de Nossa Senhora do Loreto (Arco da Calheta)

One of the last big arraiais of the Madeiran summer and among the most emblematic, held at the 16th-century Capela do Loreto in Arco da Calheta in honour of Nossa Senhora do Loreto and Santo Antão. Days of masses and processions alternate with live Madeiran bands, folk groups, food stalls and fireworks over the terraced vineyards of the south-west. Free entry; combine with the Calheta beach and Jardim do Mar. Held 5–8 September in 2026.

Festa de Nossa Senhora do Livramento (Caniço)

Caniço's best-known religious festival, celebrated on the second Sunday of September around the Igreja Matriz in the town square, a fixed parish rule, so 11–13 September 2026 (Sunday 13th) holds. Novenas, a candlelit procession and mass by day; espetada, bolo do caco, poncha and live Madeiran bands in the square by night. Smaller and far more local than the Funchal events, and only 15 minutes from the city by the 155 bus.

Madeira's most iconic ridge hike, from Pico do Areeiro (1,818 m, the island's third-highest peak) to Pico Ruivo (1,862 m, the highest) across exposed ridges, stairs and tunnels.

The PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde is a 17.4 km out-and-back walk from Queimadas Forest Park above Santana, following an 18th-century laurisilva levada to a 100 m waterfall dropping into a green rock amphitheatre. Almost flat, four unlit tunnels, moderate exposure, one of the two most famous levada walks on the island.

The arid eastern peninsula. Volcanic colours, dramatic sea cliffs, almost no shade. A complete contrast to the green interior.

Walk through Rabaçal's laurisilva to a lagoon fed by 25 springs. One of the most popular routes, go early.

Official 10.8 km route (about 4 h) from Assobiadores on the Paul da Serra plateau down through laurel forest to the Fanal forestry post, famous for its ancient til trees in the fog.

Volcanic-rock pools naturally filled by the Atlantic on Madeira's north-west tip. The signature swimming spot of the island.

Madeira's longest beach: a mix of pebble and black sand on the western edge of Funchal. Easy to reach by bus.

Man-made golden-sand beach inside a sheltered marina. Calm water, good for families.