New Year’s in Madeira

The New Year’s celebration in Madeira is centered in Funchal, where the fireworks display takes place along the city’s natural amphitheater, filling the sky with colorful lights and rumbling noises that excites spectators of all ages.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006-2007, the fireworks display in the Island of Madeira was classified as the “Greatest Fireworks Show in the World”. The Island held this title until 2012.  Macedo’s Pirotecnia strategically set up the 37 staggering firing stations, with an estimated cost over 1 million Euros for an 8-10 minute show.  Just to give you an idea of how magnificent the show is, 17 tons of fireworks with more than 660 discharges at a rate of more than 8,000 discharges per minute.

Every year, numerous cruise ships and boats fill the harbor to witness the incredible spectacle that draws people from all over the world. There are many viewpoints to watch the fireworks show. You can watch it from your hotel balcony (if it faces the bay and is well positioned in the hillsides), join the fun crowds in the streets, or rent a boat/catamaran and watch it from the sea. Madeira is without doubt an incredible place to celebrate the  New Year, an experience that you won’t see or feel anywhere else.

This is a video of last year’s display, created by Hey Productions.