The coordinator of the Mission Structure for the 600th Anniversary of the Discovery and Settlement of the Azores says the commemorations must be far more than a historical anniversary. Pedro Parreira envisions 2027 as a year of reflection, education, cultural affirmation and international projection—embracing all nine islands and the global “tenth island” of the Azorean diaspora.

Six hundred years cannot be contained within a calendar of ceremonies. They live in villages and harbors, in language and religious traditions, in migrations and family histories, in the black basalt of the islands and in communities thousands of miles from the Atlantic shores where those histories began. That larger understanding is at the center of Pedro Parreira’s vision for the commemorations of the 600th anniversary of the discovery and settlement of the Azores. “The priority, from the first day, was the ambition to go beyond a mere celebration of the anniversary,” he explains. The objective is to examine six centuries of Azorean history, value the communities created throughout the world and leave a common legacy capable of looking toward the future.

The program is being organized around three principal pillars. The first places the archipelago and its people at the center, with activities throughout all nine islands so that the anniversary is decentralized rather than concentrated in a few institutional venues. The second is non-formal education, particularly aimed at younger generations. The third expands the geographical meaning of the Azores themselves by embracing the diaspora—the often-invoked “tenth island”—including established Azorean communities and lesser-known historical connections in places such as the Alentejo, Alaska, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde.

For Parreira, that global dimension is not an addition to Azorean history; it is part of its essence. He describes the archipelago as an Atlantic port of global encounter, a place where continents and cultures crossed during the first centuries of European globalization. The commemorations are therefore intended to strengthen relationships not only with traditional diaspora communities but also with mainland Portugal and Madeira, while working with foundations, associations, consulates and embassies to recover connections that have faded with time. His aspiration is to renew an old idea of the Azores as an “Escala Universal do Atlântico”—a universal Atlantic crossroads.

Although 2027 will be the principal commemorative year, work is already underway. A dedicated digital portal and social-media presence are planned, along with intensified dialogue with schools and the completion of consultations with Azorean municipalities. Parreira wants the project to reach beyond those already convinced of the value of the anniversary, creating a conversation about why six centuries of history can still matter culturally, socially and economically. The first of many activities is expected to be launched on January 1, 2027.

All nine islands, he insists, must have a meaningful place. Santa Maria possesses a particular historical significance and will frame the beginning and conclusion of the commemorative cycle, but Parreira promises activities of different kinds throughout the archipelago. On Terceira, both municipal governments have expressed willingness to participate. Angra do Heroísmo Mayor Fátima Amorim has already announced the 600th anniversary as the theme of the 2027 Sanjoaninas, while cooperation with Praia da Vitória is expected to begin during this year’s Outono Vivo. Angra may also become central to a larger project involving the concept of the “Cultural Sea” and discussion surrounding a national museum in a regional context.

The scale of the project has inevitably raised questions about cost. Parreira responds that the formal Mission Structure will remain small, with only four full-time specialists drawn from the Regional Administration and working without additional salary increases. Other public bodies, municipalities, diaspora organizations, the University of the Azores, foundations, misericórdias and community institutions are expected to develop or support many activities. His preferred model is therefore one of networks and partnerships rather than a large centralized commemorative apparatus. As he recalls from growing up in Ribeirinha, when everyone contributes a little, the work becomes lighter—and less expensive.

Behind all of this lies an ambition extending beyond remembrance. The anniversary is also being conceived as an opportunity to project the Azores internationally—to present the islands not as a remote historical curiosity but as a contemporary Atlantic society with a distinctive culture, strategic geography and worldwide human network. If the effort succeeds, Parreira predicts, “In 2027, the Azores will be fashionable and on everyone’s lips.”

The phrase may sound deliberately ambitious, but perhaps an anniversary of six centuries requires ambition. The most meaningful commemorations do not merely count the years that have passed. They ask what those years created, who inherited them, and what responsibilities accompany that inheritance.

For the Azores, the answer cannot end at the shoreline. Six centuries produced nine islands—but also countless other islands of memory scattered across the world. In 2027, the challenge will be to bring that immense geography of Azorean belonging together and, for a moment, allow an Atlantic people to recognize itself as one story still being written.

Based on an interview in Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director. The photos are also from DI and Pedro Parreira’s Facebook page.