Festival of Our Lady of Amparo

The Festival of Our Lady of Amparo is a religious and cultural celebration of great significance to the community of Ribeira Brava, on the island of Madeira. It takes place in the Parish of São João and is supported by the Junta de Freguesia da Ribeira Brava, which helps keep it alive year after year. The devotion is traditionally experienced through a novena of preparation, followed by the Pilgrimage Festival, the central moment in which faith and community come together. Among the highlights of these days are the fireworks display and a band parade, which bring colour and life to the celebration. This festival is part of a municipality with a strong festive and religious tradition, where other celebrations, such as the great Pilgrimage Festival of São Pedro and the folklore festival FESTIBRAVA, reveal the cultural vitality of Ribeira Brava and its people.

Overlooking the southern coast of Madeira, Ribeira Brava is one of the island's oldest settlements, founded around 1462, shaped by people with deep ties to the sea and the land. Fishing, farming and trade have long intertwined here, alongside a heritage well worth a leisurely visit, from the imposing Church of Saint Bento to the Municipal Market, the beating heart of daily life. Traditions remain alive through festivals, street festivals and pilgrimage festivals that bring neighbours together and preserve the customs of their ancestors, with this festive vitality being one of the parish's defining traits. At the table, another richness reveals itself, with bacalhau à Ribeira Brava, carne de vinho e alhos and the market's tapas. This is a place that calls for time, a good palate and a willingness to listen to its stories.