The best parties The Azores

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...

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!

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...).

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.

In Vila Franca, on the island of São Miguel, these festivals are the occasion for folkloric demonstrations. Although it's not known exactly when they began, as they haven't always taken place with the same regularity, they are still held at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia. The week-long festivities include religious celebrations, masses and Sunday street processions, as well as sports competitions, cultural events and concerts.

The island of Pico has a special devotion to the miraculous Good Jesus. Every year, the sanctuary of São Mateus serves as a place of pilgrimage, and thousands of inhabitants come from all over the archipelago to honor the image of the Saint. Other central islands, such as Graciosa, also celebrate this festival. In addition to its religious significance, the festival has a more popular dimension, with musical performances and folklore groups.