Azores Situation Report Wednesday March 5 2025
Battle of Limes on Carnival Tuesday in Ponta Delgada brings generations together
Hundreds of people in trucks, or on foot, once again fill the waterfront of the city of Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, today to take part in the traditional Batalha das Limas, a carnival tradition unique to the country, which brings together generations.
This is the case of Pedro Viegas, who has been participating in the battle since 1986 and has never missed “a fight”.
It was the first time with his older brother, who for years organized some trucks that participated in the fight at the Battle of Limas.
“I’ve never missed a year,” he told Lusa, explaining that the tradition has grown “year after year” within the family.
Every year, the Battle of Limas attracts hundreds of people to the city of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, for a water fight.
The battle starts at 2:00 pm, implying traffic restrictions on the Ponta Delgada waterfront, and only ends at 7:00 pm.
In recent years, the Ponta Delgada local authority has implemented rules for the Battle of Limas that aim to reduce the environmental impact of the tradition, as well as limiting and protecting the area where the carnival event takes place.
After the battle, and as has been customary over the years, the local authority’s cleaning teams have also been on the ground and the participants in the trucks also help to clean up and separate the waste.
This year, nine teams and 10 trucks will take part in the battle.
To preserve and “maintain this tradition of generations, unique in the world, recycling it for future generations”, the Cultural and Recreational Association of Batalha das Limas was created on the island of São Miguel, a non-profit organization, as stated on the official Facebook page of this movement responsible for organizing the Batalha das Limas.
Fuel prices rise in March in the Azores
The prices of gasoline, diesel and butane gas will rise again in March in the Azores, according to a notice published in the Official Gazette
Gasoline goes up by 3.1 cents per litre, diesel by 2.7 cents per litre and butane gas by 0.3 cents per kilo.
The Azorean executive justifies the adjustment in the maximum retail price with the “recent variations in the international market of reference prices for petroleum and energy products”.
In January and February, fuel prices in the Azores had already risen.
The price of butane gas, which had not increased since July 2021, now has monthly updates, with a new calculation formula.
From March 1st, gasoline will cost 1.58 euros per litre in the Azores, 3.1 cents more than in the previous month, while diesel will cost 1.506 euros per litre (2.7 cents more).
The price of coloured diesel for agriculture and fishing, defined in another order, will also increase by 2.7 cents per litre in March.
Coloured and marked diesel used in agriculture will now cost 1.135 euros per litre, while the price of coloured and marked diesel used in fishing will be set at 0.945 euros per litre.
As for butane gas, the increase in March is 0.3 cents per kilo, in the different types.
Butane gas sold to the public, at the retailer’s establishment, in bottles of 26 liters or more, will now cost 1.895 euros per kilo and that sold in bottles of 24 liters, made of light materials (up to eight kilos of containers), 2.091 euros per kilo.
Piped butane gas costs 1.895 euros per kilo and bulk butane gas costs 1.493 euros per kilo.
The maximum prices of petroleum and energy products in the Azores are “changed on the 1st of each month and in amounts equivalent to the variation in the value of the monthly European Price (PE)”.
In December, the Azorean executive increased the Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products (ISP) by 9.8 cents per liter on gasoline and 5.8 cents per liter on diesel.
ISP is now charged at 59 cents per litre for petrol and 40 cents for diesel.
São Miguel hosts Sustainable Tourism Days in the Lands of Priolo
The Local Technical Team of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism of Terras do Priolo will organize on Thursday and Friday, in São Miguel, Azores, the 1st Sustainable Tourism Conference of Terras do Priolo, it was announced.
The conferences “are in line with the objectives and actions of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism of the Priolo Lands 2024-2028 Action Plan”, according to the organization.
The Priolo is a bird species endemic to the Azores and is confined to the eastern part of the island of São Miguel, in the municipalities of Povoação and Nordeste.
The initiative’s program includes a set of guided tours of the territory of the Priolo Lands (municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação) and “will allow businesspeople and tourist guides to discover a different tourist offer in these territories”.
According to the program, on the first day, Thursday, participants in the conferences will take guided tours of the municipality of Nordeste.
On the second day of the proceedings, in the morning, the Forum of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism of Protected Areas (CETS) of Terras do Priolo will be held, which will include the presentation of the CETS Terras do Priolo Action Plan 2024-2028 and the discussion of relevant topics for the development of sustainable tourism in the territory. In the afternoon, guided tours will be held around the municipality of Povoação.