Market Night

Market Night

The Market Night is a traditional festival of Madeira Island, celebrated every year, on the night of December 23rd, in Funchal and all over the island.

This memorable night is mostly celebrated in Funchal, as it is where a larger group of people gather, specifically, around the Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmer’s Market): the genuine place of this party and the responsible for the recognition of this night.

Many residents from other parts of the island travel to central Funchal at night to purchase various regional products, especially poncha.

There are several "stalls" scattered throughout Funchal that offer products such as wine-and-garlic meat sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, homemade jams, flowers and various typical drinks, but it is within the Farmers Market that you can find the best and most diverse. products that our island has to offer.

This festive night usually begins in the late afternoon and extends to until dawn, making it one of the longest nights in Funchal.

Every year, the fishmonger square in the market, we have the opportunity to attend a traditional Christmas carols show. At around 11 pm, many participants, with greater adherence from the island's residents, join this show, together with various music bands and folk groups, to make this Christmas atmosphere go on all night long.

The History of the Market Night

Contrary to popular belief, the Market Night existed before the Farmers Market was built. This popular "gathering" was first reported in 1890, but previously it was already a Funchal custom.

The Market Night was initially celebrated at the D. Pedro V Market (nowadays is where the Customs Department of Funchal is located), where the residents began to appear in large numbers in the city center, in order to do their Christmas shopping. .

As today, these purchases were made on December 23rd and 24th, where there was a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available. 

It was also customary to go to Largo de S. Sebastião (nowadays where Largo do Chafariz is located), where you could also buy vegetables and flowers to decorate the Christmas Nativity scenes.

The D. Pedro V Market lasted about 100 years and was replaced by the Farmers Market in the year 1940, the tradition of extending hours and having the surrounding streets full of vendors continued to allow everyone to do last-minute purchases, such as the buying of Christmas trees.

Today vendors are still on the streets around the Farmers Market, but over the years, the Market Night has grown significantly both in its size and in the amount of people who frequent it. Thus, it became one of the most attended parties by the Madeiran people and their visitors.