The display is fired from points spread right around the bay and from platforms out on the water, so it goes up as an arc across the whole city rather than from one spot, and it runs for about eight minutes from midnight. It went into the Guinness records in 2006 as the largest in the world and has been beaten since, which is beside the point: what makes it is the shape of Funchal, a bowl of hillside facing the sea with the whole population of it out of doors. The evening before is programmed as well, with concerts in the squares and the streets busy from early on.
- CostNothing to watch. What costs is the bed: New Year is the most expensive week of the year in Funchal and most places set a minimum stay across it.
- WhereFunchal bay, from the harbour round to the Lido, plus the hillside above the city. Anywhere with an open view of the water is in the theatre.
- Getting thereOn foot. The roads into the centre and up to the viewpoints close or seize through the evening, and a car parked at a miradouro is staying there for hours after midnight.
- Best timeBe standing where you mean to watch from by eleven. The viewpoints above the city start filling in the afternoon and the seafront fills through the evening.
- With childrenIt is loud, late and very crowded. A balcony or a quiet stretch of the promenade works well; the packed viewpoints and the middle of the seafront do not.
- If it rainsIt is fired in rain, and only genuinely dangerous conditions stop it. Low cloud is the real risk, and it sits on the hillside viewpoints rather than at sea level, which is an argument for watching from the front.
Where you stand matters less than how you get away from it. The miradouros above the city give you the postcard view and then hold you for two hours while everyone leaves down one road, so they are for people who have brought a picnic and are in no hurry. At sea level the promenade and the Parque de Santa Catarina are free, uphill of nothing, and you can be indoors twenty minutes after the last shell. Best of all is a sea facing balcony with your own drink on it, which is the reason the sea view apartments in this city go first and go early.
What people ask us about New Year in Funchal
Where is the best place to watch?
Anywhere with an open view of the bay, because it is fired from points all around the water rather than from one. A sea facing balcony is the best seat there is; at street level the seafront promenade and the Parque de Santa Catarina are free and you can walk away from both.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Months, and closer to a year if you want a sea view. Funchal fills earlier for this than for any other week of the year, and most places set a minimum stay across it, so the cheap short booking you are hoping for does not exist by autumn.
How long does the display last?
About eight minutes from midnight, fired from everywhere at once. The evening around it is the longer event: concerts in the squares, the streets full from early on and the city still out well after the smoke clears.
Should I drive up to a viewpoint?
No. The miradouros fill from the afternoon, the roads to them close or jam, and getting off the hill afterwards can take two hours. If you are not within walking distance of the water, get a lift in early and plan to stay put for a while.
