Art & Music Festivals!

When I hear the term "Festa", I think of Saint Anthony and hot soup on a hot summer day.  But there are plenty of secular and artistic festivals for those who want to experience the islands beyond the native culture & beaches.

The Walk and Talk Festival is now in its third year (I personally just missed the first incarnation by a few weeks back in 2011!)  Go here and take a look at the great video from last year's festival (2012).  There's an IndieGoGo campaign up until the beginning of July which could use your help too, if you are so inclined.

There is also the annual (and international) Mare De Agosto-Tide of August Festival in Santa Maria.  The Portuguese American Journal wrote about it in 2011.  The real site is here, usually it happens mid/late August.  Make sure to book your tickets early!!  It's the height of the season and is poised to be the MidAtlantic version of Woodstock (without all the creepy hippies-just the nice ones!)  It is a sampler of the best of European bands and styles.  Don't expect to see the same old names here; instead you will be poised to discover the hottest new groups coming from the Eastern side of the "pond".

Natural Wonders of the Azores

A recent article focuses on how the focus is on ecology in Sao Miguel.  The article lists a variety of facts about the flora and fauna of the region.  Apparently, there is also a partnership with MIT, called the Green Islands Project.  The actual center is profiled in an architectural journal.

Santa Maria also has an amazing and modern Nature Center (which I can't seem to find online). Some of the qualities of its geological formations are mentioned here.

Back to Sao Miguel, the most charming video is of the head gardener of the Terra Nostra Gardens.  It doesn't even offer a taste of the garden itself, but he's a fun personality to watch.  Especially when he weighs his love of the garden to his family, "More on the side of the family", but . . .