Madeira invests 511 thousand euros in Carnival festivities

The Government of Madeira (PSD) invested 511 thousand euros this year in the Carnival festivities, which begin on Wednesday and continue until March 9, the Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, indicated today.

At a press conference, the government official said that the expected hotel occupancy rate for this period is around 90%, signaling Carnival as an important tourist attraction for the autonomous region.

“We have already carried out an initial survey of the market to understand the hotel occupancy rate. From the perspective we are at, we are at 88%, one percentage point above the value measured at this same stage in relation to last year”, he said, stressing that it is “quite natural” that occupancy will be between 90% and 95%.

The festivities are similar to those of previous years, with two highlights – the allegorical procession, on the evening of Saturday, March 1st, and the clumsy procession, on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 4th, which run along the marginal avenues of Funchal, where 5,100 seats are available.

The allegorical procession will feature 1,500 participants, distributed across 13 troupes, who will then liven up the “Carnival of the Avenues”, at the Central Plaza of Avenida Arriaga, in the centre of the Madeiran capital, every day until the end of the festivities.

The Carnival Market will also be open at Placa Central, with several stalls and nights of great fun.

On Carnival Tuesday, the traditional and popular parade of clowns takes place, in which hundreds of people give free rein to their imagination and take the opportunity to satirize and criticize current issues.

This parade, full of cultural heritage, vibrantly revives the carnival spirit of the first half of the 20th century in Madeira and is considered the most authentic expression of this period, although it has lost some of its shine in recent years.

Also noteworthy is the Children's Carnival, with a parade scheduled for February 28th in the center of Funchal, with the participation of 1,100 children from various schools in the region, and the Solidarity Carnival, on the same day, promoted by the Funchal Community Development Association.

During the carnival season, several themed parties are held, such as “hippie night” and “transvestite night”, and allegorical parades are held in several municipalities in the region.

At the press conference, the regional secretary for Economy, Tourism and Culture indicated that the Carnival festivities, this year under the theme “Fantasy of Colors”, involve a total of 4,450 people, including musical bands, philharmonic bands, Carnival workshops, Carnival markets and allegorical, campfire, children's and charity parades.

This year, as is now common practice, the Regional Government of Madeira granted public servants a day off on Carnival Tuesday, March 4, and on the morning of the following Wednesday.

The Government of Madeira (PSD) invested 511 thousand euros this year in the Carnival festivities, which begin on Wednesday and continue until March 9, the Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, indicated today.

At a press conference, the government official said that the expected hotel occupancy rate for this period is around 90%, signaling Carnival as an important tourist attraction for the autonomous region.

“We have already carried out an initial survey of the market to understand the hotel occupancy rate. From the perspective we are at, we are at 88%, one percentage point above the value measured at this same stage in relation to last year”, he said, stressing that it is “quite natural” that occupancy will be between 90% and 95%.

The festivities are similar to those of previous years, with two highlights – the allegorical procession, on the evening of Saturday, March 1st, and the clumsy procession, on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 4th, which run along the marginal avenues of Funchal, where 5,100 seats are available.

The allegorical procession will feature 1,500 participants, distributed across 13 troupes, who will then liven up the “Carnival of the Avenues”, at the Central Plaza of Avenida Arriaga, in the centre of the Madeiran capital, every day until the end of the festivities.

The Carnival Market will also be open at Placa Central, with several stalls and nights of great fun.

On Carnival Tuesday, the traditional and popular parade of clowns takes place, in which hundreds of people give free rein to their imagination and take the opportunity to satirize and criticize current issues.

This parade, full of cultural heritage, vibrantly revives the carnival spirit of the first half of the 20th century in Madeira and is considered the most authentic expression of this period, although it has lost some of its shine in recent years.

Also noteworthy is the Children's Carnival, with a parade scheduled for February 28th in the center of Funchal, with the participation of 1,100 children from various schools in the region, and the Solidarity Carnival, on the same day, promoted by the Funchal Community Development Association.

During the carnival season, several themed parties are held, such as “hippie night” and “transvestite night”, and allegorical parades are held in several municipalities in the region.

At the press conference, the regional secretary for Economy, Tourism and Culture indicated that the Carnival festivities, this year under the theme “Fantasy of Colors”, involve a total of 4,450 people, including musical bands, philharmonic bands, Carnival workshops, Carnival markets and allegorical, campfire, children's and charity parades.

This year, as is now common practice, the Regional Government of Madeira granted public servants a day off on Carnival Tuesday, March 4, and on the morning of the following Wednesday.

The Government of Madeira (PSD) invested 511 thousand euros this year in the Carnival festivities, which begin on Wednesday and continue until March 9, the Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, indicated today.

At a press conference, the government official said that the expected hotel occupancy rate for this period is around 90%, signaling Carnival as an important tourist attraction for the autonomous region.

“We have already carried out an initial survey of the market to understand the hotel occupancy rate. From the perspective we are at, we are at 88%, one percentage point above the value measured at this same stage in relation to last year”, he said, stressing that it is “quite natural” that occupancy will be between 90% and 95%.

The festivities are similar to those of previous years, with two highlights – the allegorical procession, on the evening of Saturday, March 1st, and the clumsy procession, on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 4th, which run along the marginal avenues of Funchal, where 5,100 seats are available.

The allegorical procession will feature 1,500 participants, distributed across 13 troupes, who will then liven up the “Carnival of the Avenues”, at the Central Plaza of Avenida Arriaga, in the centre of the Madeiran capital, every day until the end of the festivities.

The Carnival Market will also be open at Placa Central, with several stalls and nights of great fun.

On Carnival Tuesday, the traditional and popular parade of clowns takes place, in which hundreds of people give free rein to their imagination and take the opportunity to satirize and criticize current issues.

This parade, full of cultural heritage, vibrantly revives the carnival spirit of the first half of the 20th century in Madeira and is considered the most authentic expression of this period, although it has lost some of its shine in recent years.

Also noteworthy is the Children's Carnival, with a parade scheduled for February 28th in the center of Funchal, with the participation of 1,100 children from various schools in the region, and the Solidarity Carnival, on the same day, promoted by the Funchal Community Development Association.

During the carnival season, several themed parties are held, such as “hippie night” and “transvestite night”, and allegorical parades are held in several municipalities in the region.

At the press conference, the regional secretary for Economy, Tourism and Culture indicated that the Carnival festivities, this year under the theme “Fantasy of Colors”, involve a total of 4,450 people, including musical bands, philharmonic bands, Carnival workshops, Carnival markets and allegorical, campfire, children's and charity parades.

This year, as is now common practice, the Regional Government of Madeira granted public servants a day off on Carnival Tuesday, March 4, and on the morning of the following Wednesday.