Events calendar The Azores

One of the most important festivals in the Azores, its origins date back to the 1980s. Every year at the end of August, Santa Maria welcomes an international audience driven by a common passion: world music. The program? Relaxation during the day and concerts at night. For the occasion, the small island is transformed into a large open-air concert hall, each time welcoming several thousand spectators. The event takes place in the bay of Praia Formoso, just a few metres from the sea, in an absolutely idyllic setting.

Lajes, south of Pico, celebrates its whalers, a local tradition if ever there was one! These festivities originated in 1882, when a storm hit the island and the whalers tried to return to the port of Lajes, invoking the protection of Our Lady of Lourdes. Today, the festival still includes a religious component dedicated to Notre-Dame de Lourdes, patron saint of fishermen, with a mass and a maritime procession. There are also shows, concerts, sports competitions, traditional regattas, promotion of local products...

From May to October, numerous bullfighting shows take place in the villages of Terceira. The bull runs through the streets attached to a long rope held by a group of men. An important reminder: the Portuguese - and therefore the Azoreans - do not execute the bulls at the end of a bullfight. Even if you're firmly opposed to this kind of event, don't miss it, as the popular fervor is intense throughout, and what's more, it's quite comical. If you're lucky enough to be in the Azores at this time of year, it's a must-see.

The feast of the patron saint of this small town on Pico is an important religious and popular celebration. For five days, the town comes alive with concerts, popular marches, street dances and balls of chamarritas, a traditional dance. The festivities include sporting, cultural, musical and religious events. In 2023, the record for the largest chamarrita in the world was broken by 812 dancers at the Madalena municipal stadium. Not to be missed!

As the name suggests, this popular festival is held every year in the last week of July. For the occasion, São Roque, on the island of Pico, dons its festive garb and invites the island's inhabitants to come together for concerts, craft exhibitions, sporting events and various fairs focusing on books, gastronomy, wine... Sporting events include a canoe race, whaleboat rides, aquagym classes... The program is diverse and open to all!

This annual pilgrimage to São Jorge is one of the Azores' most important religious events. Mass, liturgical hymns, a traditional procession accompanied by the local philharmonic band and an auction punctuate the event, which takes place in the chapel of São Sebastião. This tradition, on the island of São Jorge, is linked to the belief in divine protection against natural disasters (volcanic eruption, earthquake...).

This popular festival is held in the small town of Calheta, on the south coast of São Jorge. It features concerts, shows, exhibitions, ethnographic parades and sporting events. A diversified program to please all audiences! For four days, local bands as well as better-known Portuguese groups from the continent perform. Rock, funk, reggaeton, electro, pop, eurodance... there's something for everyone!

Every year in Flores, the Emigrants' Festival pays tribute to the (many) locals who have gone abroad - mainly to America - in search of better living conditions. For the occasion, it's not uncommon for the people concerned to make the trip to meet up with family and friends. The theme of this year's event is "The Island and the World", in reference to one of the first works by Flores-born poet Pedro da Silveira. Nationally renowned artists will perform over the four days of festivities.

In the capital of São Jorge, a number of festive and cultural events take place over the course of a few days: shows, concerts, folklore demonstrations, symposia and conferences, nautical events, book fairs, promotion of products from the islands of the triangle and other feasts... In 2024, the ^35th edition of the event will be held with, for the occasion, big national names: singers Noble, Pedro Mafama and Zé Amaro, the group Calema, DJ Pete Tha Zouk...

In the small town of Praia Formosa, on the island of Santa Maria, the feast of the patron saint Santo Amaro is an important religious and traditional festival. Every year, the tradition continues, beginning with a mass at the church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, followed by an auction in which arms and legs made of hand-kneaded dough are sold. The faithful offer them as payment for their promises. Festivities in honor of Santo Amaro also take place in other Portuguese cities.

The Feast of the Virgin Mary is an important religious festival throughout the Azores. It is particularly celebrated in Vila do Porto (Santa Maria), as Mary is the town's patron saint. Kermesses, concerts, shows and local produce markets bring the town's municipal garden to life. This is also the case in Vila Nova, on the island of Terceira, and in Corvo, which celebrate their patron saint, Nossa Senhora dos Milagres (Our Lady of Miracles).

Since 1992, the Vine and Wine Festival has been celebrated in Biscoitos, north of Terceira, to promote the island's harvesting traditions. Traditional grape harvests are re-enacted, along with the entire ancient harvesting process: transporting baskets, picking, loading grapes and transporting them to the Wine Museum, crushing, blessing and tasting the must. The event concludes with a grape-pickers' dinner and wine tasting, accompanied by music and dance.

These celebrations commemorate the 1829 battle of the Portuguese civil war between absolutists and liberals. In Vila de Praia, the latter triumphantly repulsed the enemy, then renamed their town Praia da Vitória. Today, the battle is celebrated all over Terceira, and especially in Praia da Vitória. The festivities include bull runs, exhibitions, concerts, parades, a gastronomic fair, water sports events and competitions, and always end with a grand fireworks display.