The seventh edition of the Madeira Street Arts Festival kicks off today, an event that transforms the region’s public spaces into an open stage for creativity. Over the next few days, dozens of Madeiran, national and international artists will bring the streets to life with performances of urban art, theatre, circus, music and dance, celebrating the diversity and energy of street arts.
The opening session is taking place right now in the Foyer of the Baltazar Dias Municipal Theatre in Funchal.
During the presentation, Rúben Silva, a member of the event’s organizing committee, in the presence of the Mayor of Funchal and the Regional Secretary for Tourism, highlighted the unique nature of this event, which brings everyone together.
“We are celebrating more than an event, we are celebrating art in the streets,” observed Ruben Silva, asserting that the event demonstrates that “the street is a place for everyone,” providing, for example, “unexpected encounters.”
The mayor of Calheta, Doroteia Leça, where this event also takes place, highlighted the importance of supporting culture and considered that “the quality of the festival is undeniable”.
Eduardo Jesus, Secretary of Tourism and Culture, emphasized that this is a festival that prioritizes “interaction with the public.”
“The festival has grown and established itself,” said Eduardo Jesus, emphasizing the multiculturalism present in this event, which involves more than “13 nationalities,” and praising the decentralization it imposes.
The mayor of Funchal, Jorge Carvalho, stated that he “couldn’t have chosen a better time” to begin his duties, at what is his first public event as mayor of Funchal. He considered the role that art and this event play in connecting with people to be crucial. “This artistic dimension becomes even more relevant. It has a universal language,” he emphasized.
The festival, already a fixture on Madeira’s cultural calendar, aims to bring the public closer to contemporary artistic expressions and promote encounters between cultures, styles, and languages. This year, the event once again focuses on occupying several emblematic locations in the city, inviting residents and visitors to rediscover the urban space through art.