What's on in Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Busy — Carnival holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Busy — Easter holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Tremor

  10 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyMajor festivalBook early

  Five days of concerts staged in the town's halls and then out in craters, chapels and tea plantations across the island. It fills the small hotel stock in what is otherwise low season. Source ↗

• Nature

  Whale and dolphin season

  15 Mar – 15 Oct · usuallyWhale season

  Blue and fin whales pass on migration from about April to June, the biggest animals anyone will ever see from a boat. Sperm whales and several dolphin species are here all season.

Busy — Easter holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres

  8–14 MayMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  The largest religious festival in the Azores, on the fifth Sunday after Easter. Emigrant families fly in for it, the streets around Sao Francisco are carpeted in flowers, and flights sell out. Source ↗

Still on: Tremor (10 Mar – 20 Apr (usually)), Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Holy Spirit festas

  1 May – 15 Aug · usuallyMajor festival

  Every village keeps a painted imperio chapel, and through the summer each takes its turn to crown a child and hand out soup and sweet bread to anyone who turns up. No tickets, no schedule you can rely on. Source ↗

Still on: Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (8–14 May)

Busy — Summer holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Hydrangea hedges

  15 Jun – 5 Sep · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The field boundaries across Sao Miguel are hydrangeas rather than fences, and from midsummer the roads to Sete Cidades and Furnas are lined blue for a couple of months.

Still on: Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (8–14 May), Holy Spirit festas (1 May – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Holy Spirit festas (1 May – 15 Aug (usually)), Hydrangea hedges (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Sea at its warmest

  1 Aug – 15 Oct · usuallySea warm enough

  Mid-Atlantic water warms late and peaks in September, which is also when the swimming holes at Ferraria and the Mosteiros pools are usable rather than bracing. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Atlantic storm season

  15 Aug – 31 OctHurricane season

  Hurricanes that have turned north usually reach the Azores as post-tropical storms. They rarely do damage, but they cancel inter-island flights and boat trips for a day or two at a time. Source ↗

Still on: Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Holy Spirit festas (1 May – 15 Aug (usually)), Hydrangea hedges (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Hydrangea hedges (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually)), Sea at its warmest (1 Aug – 15 Oct (usually)), Atlantic storm season (15 Aug – 31 Oct)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Whale and dolphin season (15 Mar – 15 Oct (usually)), Sea at its warmest (1 Aug – 15 Oct (usually)), Atlantic storm season (15 Aug – 31 Oct)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Busy — Christmas holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.