Semana do Mar 2026 has its dates and line-up, and Horta fills up from 31 July to 9 August
Dates, line-up and programme for Semana do Mar 2026 in Horta, Faial: regattas, the ethnographic parade, folklore and concerts from Paulo Gonzo to Lon3r Johny.
Semana do Mar 2026 runs from 31 July to 9 August in Horta, on the island of Faial, and this is the 49th edition — old enough by now to be described as what it actually is: the biggest nautical festival in Portugal and one of the great parties of the Azores.
When is Semana do Mar 2026 and where does it happen?
From 31 July to 9 August, with Horta as the stage and the marina as the beating heart of it. Anyone who has been will tell you the town changes scale that week: the harbour fills with boats, the streets fill with people, and the sea stops being scenery and becomes the programme.
On the sailing side the headline events are the Atlantis Cup — Regata da Autonomia and the Class 6.5 crossing from Les Sables to Horta and back, with organisers expecting a record number of vessels in port. There is also the ethnographic parade, themed Cosmopolitan Faial this year and involving all 13 parishes of the municipality, plus folklore groups, philharmonic bands, island food, crafts and the Nossa Senhora da Guia feast with its nautical procession.
Who is playing at Semana do Mar 2026?
The main stage spreads itself around: Paulo Gonzo, Quinta do Bill, Blasted Mechanism, Lon3r Johny, Julinho KSD, Zarko, Insert Coin and Vizinhos, with the International Folklore Festival threaded through the week. The closing night on 9 August belongs to the municipal Light Music Orchestra — the Faial way of saying the party finishes at home, with its own.
The full programme, with times and venues, is kept updated on the official Semana do Mar site. Book flights and beds early: on an island, capacity is a much more literal number than it is on the mainland. If you are staying on the mainland instead, August packs the country with festivals too.
Image: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
