FESTA DA FLOR / FLOWER FESTIVAL – 2011

5. pm – Exhibition related to the Flower motto, in the Infoarte Space of the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport
5.30 pm – Flower Market – Avenida Arriaga (opposite the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Transport), until May 10th
Floral Carpets – Avenida Arriaga (Sé - Cathedral, Theatre and Loja do Cidadão) and Largo do Chafariz
56th Flower Exhibition at Largo da Restauração SRA (Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources)
Entertainment in Funchal’s downtown
5 pm to 8 pm –Folklore Groups

05 e 06 Maio – Exposições e Actuações musicais
07 de Maio – Cerimónia do Muro da Esperança
08 de Maio – Grande Cortejo Alegórico

Flower Festival 2011
Celebrating spring and the wealth of flora it brings us every year, the city of Funchal is once again the stage for this sumptuous spectacle that will please both the eyes and nose.
On Saturday morning, thousands of youngsters will take part in the Children's Parade, each carrying a flower to place in a mural known as the "Wall of Hope", located in Praça do Município. Doves will be released to mark the end of the wall's construction and there will also be a show for the children.
Sunday brings another dazzling event: the Grand Flower Parade. Hundreds of flower-themed floats and characters will make their way through the city in lavish style to the sound of music in keeping with the Festival, displaying arrangements of many different species of flower typical to the island and leaving soft and ephemeral perfumes in their wake.
The Flower Festival, one of the Islands' most colourful celebrations, is more than just a tribute to the flowers of the Madeira Islands. It provides the opportunity to keep genuine Madeiran traditions alive and transforms the city of Funchal, for a few days, into a magnificent stage for all kinds of artistic and cultural expression