Madeira Wine Festival 2026

From 27 August to 13 September 2026, the Madeira Wine Festival takes over the island with a cultural and ethnographic programme honouring Madeira wine, one of the region's icons with over 400 years of history and a protected designation of origin.

The event spans Funchal, Câmara de Lobos and other wine-producing areas, inviting tourists and locals alike to live grape harvests, guided tastings, concerts and traditional processions that recreate the island's winemaking heritage.

The Live Grape Harvest in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, the birthplace of Madeira wine, is the highlight of the Festival with grape picking and traditional treading in a lagar, plus an ethnographic procession through the streets with performers in period costume, tools and carts from wine production.

The "Da Vinha ao Lagar" (Vineyard to Press) concerts take place across the island in spots such as Porto Moniz, Santana and Arco de São Jorge, linking the theme of wine to regional identity.

The Madeira Wine Lounge in Praça do Povo, Funchal, sets up as a cosmopolitan, contemporary space with 11 fortified and still wine producers, tasting counters, Madeira wine cocktails, local food, guided tastings, masterclasses, paired dinners and daily live music with bands, DJs and interviews. The lounge is the festival's urban heart, where visitors can explore the diversity of wines by producing municipality in a relaxed lounge atmosphere.

The festival draws tens of thousands of visitors every year and includes 57 musical performances plus folklore and theatre, including "Shakespeare in the Wine Cellars" staged in three wine lodges.

Schedule: 27 August – 13 September 2026, daily activities roughly 18:00–23:00 (varies by venue and activity).

Free entry to the festival, with paid tastings at the lounges and stalls.