Fado show with a glass of Madeira wine
About fifty minutes of live fado in a small central Funchal room, with voice, Portuguese guitar and classical guitar, short explanations between songs, and a glass of Madeira wine.
The short version
Is the Funchal fado show worth it if you know nothing about fado?
In short
Yes. It is a gentle first fado set: fifty minutes in a small Funchal room, professional singers accompanied by Portuguese and classical guitar, and short explanations between songs about what you are hearing, the instruments and where the music comes from. You do not need any Portuguese. A glass of Madeira wine is included. The two things to plan around are the start time, because latecomers are not let in, and your group: children under six and wheelchair users cannot attend.
What it is
A seated concert of fado, the Portuguese song form UNESCO recognised in 2011, built for newcomers. You hear the songs in Portuguese, then get a few plain sentences that make the next one easier to follow, with a glass of the island's fortified wine in your hand.
What it isn't
It isn't a dinner, a late tavern night or a big stage production with dancers. Food and transport are not included, and the songs change from night to night, so no particular one is promised. If you already know fado well, the explanations may feel like more than you need.
The set in four lines
- Length
- About fifty minutes of live music
- On stage
- A voice, a Portuguese guitar, a classical guitar
- Between songs
- Short explanations of each song
- In your glass
- One glass of Madeira wine
Step by step
How the fifty minutes run
Check the start time printed on your ticket. The songs belong to the performers and change, so this is the shape of the hour, not a fixed programme.
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Before
Arrive and take your glass
Come well before the start, find your seat close to the performers and enjoy the glass of Madeira wine before the music.
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The start
Doors close
The set starts on time and the doors close a few minutes later. Anyone arriving after that cannot come in.
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The songs
Fado in Portuguese
Professional singers sing to Portuguese and classical guitar, close enough to see every breath.
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Between
A few plain sentences
Short explanations in English cover what each song is about, how the instruments work and where fado comes from.
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Listening
Quiet in the room
No flash photography and no smoking. Keep the phone away while the singer holds a note.
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After
The evening is yours
Fifty minutes leaves time for dinner or a walk through the lit centre of Funchal afterwards.
The island's wine
Madeira in the glass: grapes, heat and sweetness
The glass that comes with the set is Madeira, a fortified wine made only in the Madeira Islands. Which one is poured is the venue's choice. This is how the island's wines differ, from the driest to the richest, and why they are aged in the warm.
Driest
Sercial
Fermented almost completely dry, with almond notes and high acidity. Dry styles like this are drunk on their own as an aperitif.
Off-dry
Verdelho
Stopped a little later than Sercial, so slightly sweeter, with smoky notes and plenty of acidity.
Medium-rich
Bual
Also spelled Boal. Dark in colour, medium-rich in texture, with raisin flavours.
Richest
Malvasia
Malmsey in English. Dark and rich, with coffee and caramel notes, kept from cloying by the grape's natural acidity.
The rare one
Terrantez
The fifth noble grape, close to extinction after oidium and phylloxera and now being replanted. Its sweetness sits between Verdelho and Bual.
The workhorse
Tinta Negra
A red grape behind roughly 85% of all Madeira, made in several sweetness levels and allowed on labels since 2015.
How it ages
Heat, quickly
Estufagem
Younger wines, typically three and five years old, are aged faster in heated tanks or rooms.
Heat, slowly
Canteiro
The finest wines rest for years in casks in warm lofts, warmed only by the island's climate, and can last for decades.
Sources: Wikipedia's articles on Madeira wine and Terrantez. Grape descriptions follow those articles; your glass on the night may be any style.
Paid for, and left out
Included, not included, and the rules of the room
Everything you are buying, and the few things to sort out yourself.
- Included
- A live fado performance of about fifty minutes and one glass of Madeira wine.
- Not included
- Getting there and back, food, and drinks beyond the first glass.
- Where
- Central Funchal. The address is on your GetYourGuide ticket.
- Arrival
- Come early. The doors close a few minutes after the start and latecomers are not admitted.
- Age
- Not suitable for children under six.
- Access
- Not suitable for wheelchair users.
- House rules
- No smoking and no flash photography.
- Operator
- The performance is sold on GetYourGuide by Trova Colossal, LDA.
Choosing your Funchal evening
A fado hour or a catamaran trip: which Funchal outing?
Fado hour
Eco-catamaran trip
Length
About 50 minutes
2.5 to 3 hours
Setting
A small room in central Funchal
The sea off the south coast, from Funchal Marina
The draw
Live fado, explained song by song
Dolphins and whales, never guaranteed
Included
A glass of Madeira wine
Guides and crew; drinks sold on board
Weather
Indoors
Called off if the sea is unsafe
Who can go
Ages six and up; not for wheelchair users
Wheelchair-accessible
Strings, wine and the city
Two guitars, an island wine and Funchal after dark
The Portuguese guitar's tuning head, a terraced vineyard, an old bottle of Malmsey, the cathedral at night and a painted door in the old town.
Your evening, and your days around it
Fado after dark, the ocean and the island by day
The fado hour comes first here. The other three fill the daylight: a boat along the coast, a long drive through the island's west, and a day in its mountains and eastern tip.
Dolphin and whale watching by eco-catamaran
Two and a half to three hours from Funchal Marina on a hybrid-electric catamaran, with guides, spotters on land and a return along the cliffs at Cabo Girão. Sightings are never guaranteed.
West Madeira by open-roof 4WD
An eight-hour day: the Seixal coast, the lava pools at Porto Moniz, the Fanal laurel forest, the Paúl da Serra plateau and an off-road descent, with collection in central Funchal.
The east of the island in a day
Eight hours from Funchal: up to Pico do Arieiro, through Ribeiro Frio, lunch in Santana among its thatched triangular houses, then Ponta de São Lourenço and Machico.
More to book on Madeira
Before the doors close
Getting there and what to know first
Where it is
In central Funchal. The address arrives with your GetYourGuide ticket; save it to your phone during the day.
On foot
The centre is easy to walk, but Funchal climbs steeply from the sea, so allow extra time if you are coming from higher up.
Be early
The set starts promptly and the doors close minutes later. Latecomers are not admitted.
Eat before or after
There is no food, only the glass of wine, so plan dinner around the set.
Who can come
Ages six and up. The room cannot take wheelchair users.
In the room
Phones on silent, no flash, no smoking. The audience is small and close to the singers.
Read before the first song
Six guides to fado in Funchal
- Start here
Funchal fado show: worth it?
Whether fifty minutes of fado in a small Funchal room suits a first-timer: the explanations between songs, the glass of Madeira, the rule on latecomers and who is better off elsewhere. Read this one through → - Comparison
Fado hour or catamaran trip?
Two popular Funchal outings compared: a fifty-minute fado set with a glass of Madeira, or a two-and-a-half to three-hour catamaran trip looking for dolphins and whales. Read this one through → - In the glass
Madeira wine, glass by glass
The four noble white grapes from dry to rich, why the wine is heated as it ages, and how to read a label, so the glass with your fado means something. Read this one through → - The music
Fado, saudade and the island
Where fado comes from, what saudade means, how the Portuguese guitar got its sound, and the island's own string music, which travelled as far as Hawaii. Read this one through → - Getting there
Getting around central Funchal
How to reach the fado room on time: where the address comes from, why to leave early, the hills to allow for, and what else sits in the centre for before or after. Read this one through → - Listening
Hearing fado for the first time
What to listen for in your first fado set: the voice, the two guitars, the held notes, and the room etiquette that lets everyone hear them. Read this one through →
FAQ
Questions before the first song
Is the Funchal fado show worth it if I know nothing about fado?
Yes. It is designed for newcomers: about fifty minutes of live fado with short explanations between songs about the music, the instruments and the history, plus a glass of Madeira wine.
How long does it last?
About fifty minutes of live music, so it fits easily before or after dinner.
Are the explanations in English?
Yes. The songs are sung in Portuguese, and the short introductions between them are in English, so you do not need to speak Portuguese.
What is included?
The live fado performance and one glass of Madeira wine. Food, further drinks and transport are not included.
What if I am late?
The performance starts on time and the doors close a few minutes after the start. Latecomers are not admitted, so arrive early.
Can I bring children?
Yes, from age six. Under-sixes cannot come to the set.
Is the venue accessible?
No. Wheelchair users cannot be accommodated in the room.
Where exactly is it?
In central Funchal. The address is on your GetYourGuide ticket after you book.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Drop the GetYourGuide booking a full 24 hours before the set and it costs you nothing. Paying later is possible too: hold the seat now.
Is this site run by the venue?
No. Madeira Fado Show Guide is written independently. The venue, the performers and the operator do not run it and have no tie to it. You book with GetYourGuide.