Music and Dancing - Flores Island - Azores

In spite of its distance from the other islands in the archipelago, the folklore of Flores keeps up the common tradition with typical songs and dances such as the Sapateia, Tirana, Chamarrita Encaracolada, Rema, Manjericão, Ciranda, Pézinho de Baixo and others that enliven festival days.
The musical taste of the population of Flores also finds an expression in the half dozen bands whose presence is a must at all ceremonies and festivals.

Sea Week - Semana do Mar - Faial - Azores

The largest tourist event of the island is undoubtedly the Sea Week festival that is held in Horta between the first and second Sundays of August. It originated in the reception of the Portsmouth-Horta regatta in 1975 that motivated a large gathering, lasting one whole week and becoming a marking occasion. It seems that all started with the wine from Pico… The foreign sailors and yachtsmen appreciated the renowned hospitality and friendlyness of the people of Faial and so the festival was born, with the enthusiastic will and cooperation of the locals. In a first phase the event was organized by Horta's nautical club and Horta's Regional Commission for tourism, aided by the Horta's port authority. Although the budgets were very limited, the determination was unstoppable and gradually, the feast attracted the attention of regional, national and even international yachtsmen. Multiple cultural and entertainment activities emerged, allowing the festival to proceed with more sponsors and resources.



Recently Horta's Municipal Council with the help of official entities took the responsibility of organizing the Sea Week, mainly due to the fact that the religious and street feasts joined the sea competitions. Every year the festival has grown bigger and bigger, not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. There are more days, more water competitions, more exhibitions throughout the town, more promotion, more decorations, more shows, with artists from the continent and abroad. This is certainly the event that you cannot miss!

Following the official opening of the event, a Mass is celebrated in the chapel of Our Lady of Guia, on top of the hill of the same name and the image is then transported by boats in the Nautical Procession, passing through Porto Pim Beach, entering the Horta Harbour and disembarking in the Santa Cruz quay. The image is then carried in procession to the Church of Angústias under the alert gaze of the people with houses along the route, who exhibit their valuable mattresses out of the windows of the upper floors.

During the daytime everyone's attention is centered on the numerous nautical competitions that are carried out by the members of the archipelago's nautical clubs, filling the channel with dozens of vessels and their coloured sails. These competitions include in the yacht category the Atlantis Cup and the regattas of the Channel, of the Mermaids, of the Lonely, of the Former Participants and the Horta Trophy; the canoe races Horta-Porto Pim-Horta, Horta-Varadouro, Varadouro-Horta and of the fastest mile; the crossing of the harbour swimming competition; the regional championships in vessels of various sizes; the water games; the dinghy and rubber raft rallies; the pedal races; the Sea Week Tournament; the water polo; the sports fishing; and the whaling canoes sailing and pedaling races. Late in the afternoon the participants get together in the bar of the nautical club for a happy-hour gathering, during which the prizes are awarded.

At night the animation returns to firm land the marina fills up and the decorated navy frigate lights up. Part of the seaside road is closed to traffic carts of popcorn, stalls owned by gypsies who every year sell the same knickknacks, a church fete and the stall of the local radio station that sells T-shirts are set up; several huts that sell drinks and light snacks are opened in front of the nautical club and in the seaside garden; and that area is filled up with so many people that it is said the island rolls towards that side due to the excess weight…. In the evening, exhibitions and handcraft and book fairs are also opened to the public in the high school compound and the souvenirs and crafts there are cheaper than their usual prices in shops. Until 10:30 p.m. various folkdance groups, bands and pop music groups from all around the Azores perform on the stages of the marina and the Infante Square. This enables all those sitting on the seaside wall watching the crowd walk by to turn round and watch the acts while updating their conversations. By this time the bars of the marina, of Peter Café Sport, of Canto da Doca and the cafés Volga, Internacional, Papapizza, Nevado, Bico Doce and the food stalls are inaccessible due to the great number of tourists and locals that fill them.

The biggest disadvantage in arrangements of this kind is certainly the traffic jams generated. Note that if you pretend to get to the festival by car, you should be prepared to leave your vehicle parked on the other side of town. Owing to the road detours, all those going by car from the parish of Angústias to the other side of Horta will have to climb the very steep streets of the cemetery and return through the narrow streets of the Carmo church, a big upset and unnecessary waste of time. It is therefore very important to arrive at the site as early as possible, especially if you want to watch the concerts of the imported bands. Those who wish to have a good perspective of the show should position themselves right in front of the large stage, jump a lot to be like the crowd, put up with the pushing and, above all, have fun! The residents of that area are grateful around midnight when the daytime festival ends and the people start to disperse and either return home or head to the various bars and discos until the sunrise. On the last night, after listening to the usual new Sea Week Song, the event is officially closed with a grand firework display in the Horta Bay. The best place to watch this is from the rocks of the marina seawall, which is filled with happy people, but don't you be disappointed if this pyrotechnic display is delayed for some time...

At Night - Bars and Pubs - Faial - Azores

Horta is by nature a relatively calm place, and that is reflected on its nightlife, which doesn’t mean that there isn’t a fair number of excelent places where you can relax and enjoy the best part of the day. Following is a list of existing pubs, discos and cafés.

Peter Café Sport
One of the most famous pubs in the World, where yatch crews and tourists from every nationality go for a pleasant night out in its distinctive environment. In addition to having the best gin tonic around, it also serves light snacks, but usually everyone has a bag of peanuts. Service is quite good although prices are high, but as you will soon realise, it’s always full. It’s located at Rua Tenente Valadim, next to the Pico ferry boats.

Clube Naval da Horta
It’s the pub of the Aquatic Club, it serves light snacks and has a good environment, quite full with all kinds of people every weekend and during the whole Summer season. Reasonable prices although service is a bit slow. There is an outdoors area with excellent view over the harbour, as well as pool tables. From time to time there is live music or karaoke sessions. It’s in Rua Vasco da Gama, next to the Stª Cruz Fort.

Bar da Marina
Also serves light snacks, prices are relatively high because it’s part of the Peter Café society. It´s customers are mostly tourists during the week mainly due to it’s location, which, as the name indicates, in the the corner of the Marina. Service could be better, especially in the outdoors section.

Discoteca Rocks
Recently renovated disco, located in Lajinha, just outside Horta, in the parish of Feteira. The facilities are quite good and there is also a pub which serves light snacks. In addition to its wide range of music styles, it sometimes also introduces new bands on stage or invites artists from the continent. The service is quite good although prices are high, and it’s open every Friday, Saturday, and the eve of public holidays. The inconvenience is it’s location out of town, although there is sometimes a dedicated bus service, and the minimum spending is 3.5 euros for men and 1.75 for women, subject to change.

Pub Horta Latina
Located next to the Capote restaurant, pub is open every Fridays with live music, and the environment is also quite good. It’s a small space, but always full. Prices are reasonable and being on the seaside avenue in Horta is a definite advantage.

Retiro dos Frades
Pub with music, prices are relatively high, and its customers are usually teachers and youger people. Located in Praia do Almoxarife.

There are also cafés throughout town which complement the above places. These include Bombordo, Internacional, Volga, Pastelaria Ideal, Jack Pote, and the Sta Cruz Inn.

Music and Dancing - Sao Miguel

The nostalgia produced by the sea and isolation seems to exert a soothing influence on the tunes of the Azores. The dances take the form of bodies whirling about in time and beautiful gestures marked by the weight of tradition, with the colorful clothes of the women contrasting with the sober colours of the men.

To listen to and watch the Azoreans dance the sapateia, manjerico, pezinho, pezinho-da-vila, balho furado and cana-verde are to lift the veil a little on the soul of the islanders, marked for centuries by their isolation in the middle of the Atlantic. About thirty bands, spread all over the island, demonstrate the love the inhabitants of São Miguel have for music. They are always present at all the festivals and processions, and they usually perform from the graceful bandstands that exist in the gardens and public squares.