The Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, said that the hotel occupancy rate expected for this period is around 90%, signalling Carnival as an important tourist attraction for the autonomous region.

“We have already carried out an initial market survey to understand the hotel occupancy rate. At the distance we are at, we are at 88%, one percentage point above the value consulted at this same stage in relation to last year”, he said, highlighting that it is “quite natural” for occupancy to be between 90% and 95%.

The festivities are similar to those of previous years, with two highlights – the procession, on the evening of Saturday, March 1st, and the procession, on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 4th, which run along the marginal avenues of Funchal, where 5,100 seats are available.

The allegorical procession will feature 1,500 participants, distributed across 13 troupes, who will then liven up the “Carnival of the Avenues”, at the Central Plaza of Avenida Arriaga, in the center of the Madeiran capital, every day until the end of the festivities.

The Carnival Market will also be open at Placa Central, with several stalls.

On Carnival Tuesday, the traditional and popular parade takes place, in which hundreds of people let their imaginations run wild and take the opportunity to satirize and criticize current issues.

This parade, full of cultural heritage, vibrantly revives the carnival spirit of the first half of the 20th century in Madeira and is considered the most authentic expression of this period.

Also noteworthy is the Children's Carnival, with a parade scheduled for February 28th in the center of Funchal, with the participation of 1,100 children from various schools in the region, and the Solidarity Carnival, on the same day, promoted by the Funchal Community Development Association.

At the press conference, the regional secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture indicated that the Carnival festivities, this year under the theme “Fantasy of Colours”, involve a total of 4,450 people, including musical bands, philharmonic bands, Carnival workshops, Carnival markets and parades.

This year, as is common practice, the Regional Government of Madeira granted public servants a day off on Carnival Tuesday, March 4, and on the morning of the following Wednesday.