Semana do Mar in Horta: dates, regattas, whaleboat races and planning your stay

If you are planning a summer trip to Faial, decide first whether you want to be there for Semana do Mar or would rather avoid it. For ten days around the start of August, Horta holds its sea festival: sailing and whaleboat races in the bay by day, concerts that start close to midnight, and a marina full of visiting yachts. Horta's urban centre has about 7,000 residents, so the town feels the extra people. If you like a busy harbour and late nights, this is the week to come. If you want quiet trails and an easy choice of rooms, come in June or September.

The 2026 edition, the 49th, ran from 31 July to 9 August 2026. If the numbering holds, 2027 will be the 50th. The municipality had not announced the 2027 dates by early October 2026, so check the programme on semanadomar.net before you book flights.

The festival began with a yacht race. On 2 August 1975 thirteen boats left Portsmouth in the 1975 Sailing Race to Horta, organised by the Multihull Offshore Cruising Racing Association with the Clube Naval da Horta, the regional tourism board and the Royal Albert Yacht Club. Ten days later the trimaran Triple Arrow, skippered by Brian Cooke, was the first into Horta Bay. The town celebrated the arrivals, and the party came back every year. The Câmara Municipal da Horta has organised it since the 1980s, according to the CTT brochure for its 2024 stamps on Azorean festivals.

Ocean racing is still part of it. The 2026 programme included the 37th Atlantis Cup, also called the Regata da Autonomia, and the Mini Atlantique race for 6.5 m boats from Les Sables d'Olonne to the Azores. During the festival the mayor also hands a hydrangea to the crews in the marina, a custom RTP Açores reported again in August 2024.

The municipality bills Semana do Mar as the largest nautical festival in Portugal, and the sports programme is long. The 2026 programme included:

• An open-water swim across the channel from Faial to Pico on the first morning (31 July 2026, 09:00).
• Sailing regattas in the bay and the channel, including dinghy races for the regional championship.
• Rowing, canoeing and sport fishing.
• Whaleboat races under sail and under oars through the week, with the finals on the last Saturday (8 August in 2026).

Go and watch the whaleboats if you see only one race. They are the open wooden boats once used for whaling in the islands, now raced by crews in both men's and women's heats. You can follow the races from the Horta seafront without a ticket or a boat.

The evenings are built around the main stage. In 2026 the headline concerts started at 23:30, with acts including Quinta do Bill, Blasted Mechanism and Paulo Gonzo. Folk groups and philharmonic bands play earlier, and there are craft and food stalls through the week.

Three events are worth planning a day around:

• The parade. In 2026 the ethnographic parade took the theme "Faial Cosmopolita", with all thirteen parishes of the island taking part.
• The Festa de Nossa Senhora da Guia, with a procession on land and on the water. In 2026 it ran on Sunday 2 August from 16:00 to 19:00, after the official opening at 11:30.
• The International Folklore Festival, which in 2026 brought groups from Portugal, Belgium, Mexico and Argentina to the main stage on 6 August.

The festival ends with a prize-giving for the water sports and a concert by the municipal light music orchestra, on 9 August in 2026.

Horta is a small town, so book a room as soon as you have dates. If Horta is full, look at the parishes just outside town, such as Feteira, Flamengos or Praia do Almoxarife. From there you will want a car or a taxi for the late concerts; our guide to getting around Faial covers buses, taxis and car hire.

You can also sleep on Pico and cross for the day. The ferry from Madalena to Horta takes 25 to 30 minutes, and in August 2026 a one-way adult fare for non-residents was €8.20. The return is the problem: in summer 2026 the last crossings from Horta back to Madalena left around 22:00, about ninety minutes before the headline act. Timetables change each season, so see our Faial ferry guide and check your dates on the Atlânticoline site.

Two more tips:

• Walk the marina breakwater. For 2026 the organisers expected a record number of boats in the harbour at the same time, and many crews leave a painting of their boat's name on the wall; our Horta guide explains the custom.
• Book dinner on concert nights, or eat early.

When is Semana do Mar in Horta?

Around the turn of July and August. The 2026 edition ran from 31 July to 9 August. The 2027 dates had not been announced in early October 2026; check semanadomar.net.

Where can I watch the whaleboat races?

From the Horta seafront. The finals are on the last Saturday of the festival, 8 August in 2026.

Can I visit from Pico for an evening?

For the day, yes. For the concerts, no: in summer 2026 the last ferries from Horta to Madalena left around 22:00 and the headline acts started at 23:30. To see a headline act, stay on Faial.

How did the festival start?

With the arrival of the 1975 Sailing Race to Horta, a yacht race from Portsmouth. The town celebrated the arrivals, and the celebration became an annual festival.