Festa da Flor

The Festa da Flor is held in Funchal in the weeks after Easter, when Madeira's subtropical climate has everything in bloom at once - proteas, orchids, agapanthus, bird of paradise, bougainvillea. It opens with the Muro da Esperança, the wall of hope: thousands of children each place a single flower in a wall in the Praça do Município, building a mass of colour as a symbol against war, a ceremony that has run since the 1970s. Over the following days floral carpets are laid in the streets of the old town, florists compete in window displays, there are exhibitions, concerts and a flower market, and the festival closes with a Sunday parade of floats and costumed groups along the Avenida do Mar. It is one of the two events, with the New Year fireworks, that fill Funchal, and hotels price accordingly.

What you actually see

• The Muro da Esperança - thousands of children each placing one flower in a wall.
• The floral carpets - designs laid in the old town streets.
• The Sunday parade - floats and costumed groups along the seafront avenue.
• The bloom - Madeira's subtropical flora at its fullest all at once.

When to go

Spring, usually April or May and roughly two weeks after Easter, so the dates move. Two to five days. Book flights and hotels well ahead.

Honest expectations

Dates shift with Easter each year - check before booking. Funchal fills and prices rise sharply. Crowds along the parade route are dense; position early. Rain can spoil the carpets.

Nearby

The Funchal old town and market are alongside; the botanical and Monte gardens are above.