Carnival Festival

The city is awash with good humour with the arrival of Carnival season. Funchal pulls out all the stops, transforming the city into a stage for the bands that liven up the streets.

One of the big attractions of the season is the Carnival Parade on Saturday night. The fancifully decorated floats and troops of hundreds of people in colorful costumes performing choreographies that will have you wanting to join in the fun.

Carnival Tuesday is the day of the famous Cortejo Trapalhão (Slapstick Parade), a fun parade filled with imaginative humour and satire with people from all over the island participating.

But parties aren't the only thing you can enjoy during this time of revelry! Be sure to try the typical pastries, "sonhos" and "malassadas" (deep fried dough) served with molasses.

The Carnival celebrations offer a wealth of activities and entertainment to visitors, a perfect setting to relax and be happy.