While waiting for the allegorical Carnival procession to start, the President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, highlighted the number of people attending the event, stating that it was the first sign of the evening’s success.
“The avenue is all full,” he said, stressing that there were approximately 1,700 peoplein the 14 participating groups. The governor acknowledged, however, that the high number of participants poses challenges to the organisation, especially as the parade was expected to last for two and a half hours.
“What is causing us a problem is the number of participants. People want to take part, the groups are bigger, and this means that the Madeira Carnival is fashionable and improves every year,” stressed Regional Secretary for Tourism, Environment and Culture, Eduardo Jesus.
However, he admitted, a new organisational form may be considered, similar to that of this year’s Flower Festival. “We will think of a solution this year. Let’s see how this goes. I don’t know if it is possible to adapt a solution similar to that of the Flower Festival, but Carnival is limited to Tuesday with Carnaval Trapalhão, and the parade is usually on Saturday, so it is not so easy to extend the allegorical event,” he explained.
With regard to the tourist impact, Eduardo Jesus revealed that the hotel occupancy rate is around 88.2%, slightly above last year, despite 2025 being an “exceptional year” for regional tourism.
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