Carnival in Malta is a highly anticipated local event. With a long period of preparations for performances, elaborate floats, and planning, the excitement around the carnival celebrations reaches a fever pitch in February.
So, what is the carnival all about?
Malta Carnival 2025 dates
28th Feb – 4th March
What is the Malta Carnival?
The Malta Carnival (Il-Karnival Ta’ Malta in Maltese) is a Catholic religious celebration with roots dating back hundreds of years. It is still seen and celebrated by many Maltese people in this vein, although the show and festivities around the event are taken seriously just as much.
Traditionally, Carnival is the last indulgence before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. In fact, the word carnival comes from carnivore, which translates to ‘meat allowed’.The devout made sacrifices during the Lent period, usually giving up meat and sweets. As such, the festival is traditionally seen as the last chance to have what you are about to give up for over a month.
Many Maltese people still do this to honour their faith, although younger generations seem less inclined to practice their religion in this way. Instead, some use the occasion to shed some of the weight gained over the Christmas period and in time for summer.
What are Malta carnival celebrations like?
Today, the carnival fuses old and modern traditions and brings about a party atmosphere to Malta, as well as in Gozo. From elaborate costumes to massive colourful floats often loaded with loud PA systems, and amazing food, dances, parades, music, and competitions, expect five full days filled with non-stop celebrations!
Here’s a video to give you a taste of what to expect:
Like famous carnivals across the globe such as the Rio Carnival in Brazil, The Day of the Dead in Mexico, and the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, America, the Malta Carnival has its own character and flavour. As well as a beautiful blast of colour and music, the carnival celebrates satire and the grotesque. This is very much the spirit of the event, giving it the ‘Maltese carnivalesque’ feel.
Locals have always loved it, treasured it, and grown up with it. Increasingly, people from around the world travel to Malta to savour it. The beloved tradition that goes back centuries and started by ancient peoples, is now a high point in the international traveller’s cultural quest.
The celebrations start early and are aimed at children. As the days tumble into nights celebrations become more focused on adults with bars and clubs continuing the party vibe.
Carnival celebrations in Valletta
Most of the action takes place in Malta’s Capital City, Valletta. Many locals and tourist head to Republic Square and St George’s Square to watch the floats parade down the streets and be part of the excitement that comes with all the dancing competitions. What’s more, you can visit artistic spaces like Spazju Kreattiv if you’re interested in watching theatrical pieces or taking part in creative workshops.
On the fifth and final day of the Maltese Carnival, St Anne’s Street, Floriana brings the curtain down on celebrations as the floats parade down the streets one last time.
Here are some highlights of what to expect:
- Dressing up – Put together a costume to be part of the celebrations
- Artistic dances – see dancers dance with the floats and take part in the competitions
- Grotesque masks and floats – These represent the satirical vein that runs through the carnival. Made of cardboard and papier-mâché and painted in bright colours, these massive floats often depict comical scenes or political satire. They take months of dedication and preparation by groups of locals who are passionate about the carnival and take pride in building the most eye-catching float of the carnival.
- As well as the floats the glamour and the grotesque, the carnival possesses plenty of organised entertainment from dance troupes, theatre productions, bands, and street magicians.
- From an artistic and educational perspective, the carnival includes workshops educating visitors on why and how the carnival came about.
- As well as the competitions, all-night parties in the clubs and bars tend to thrive, while floats parade down the street.
The Gozo Carnival
If you want a change of pace and a more diverse theme, why not check out the Nadur Carnival in Gozo? Expect nothing short of a massive carnival party in the streets. Although it’s not officially part of the carnival celebrations, it has grown into a popular carnival tradition so much so, that the ferry that connects Gozo and Malta struggles to cope with demand.
You’ll find the weirdest but often also funniest carnival dress-ups and costumes here, often treading the line of what’s acceptable during an originally religious celebration. (And that often to the generally slightly more conservative Gozitan population).
Although most of the action takes place in Nadur, other Gozitan towns and villages such as Victoria, Munxar, Żebbuġ, Qala, Għarb, and Munxar, host festivities and dance competitions with the participation of folk groups, floats and costume displays.
Malta Summer Carnival
Relatively new to the calendar, Malta’s Summer Carnival is rapidly gaining popularity. The festival features a parade of colourful floats and a défilé with music, dance and food. Buġibba Square and Marsaskala are the prime locations where the action happens over a weekend, normally in August.
As part of the carnival, a traditional Ġostra is also held. Normally associated with the festa (village feast – another religious celebration in Malta) of St. Julian’s, the ġostra is a pretty hilarious tradition. At sea, a long pole is erected at a steep angle, smothered in grease or animal fat. Competitors are challenged to try and run up the pole to reach the flags at the end.
Very few actually manage and although taken very seriously by the competitors, it creates a funny scene. The ġostra is a good example of traditions that date back centuries, often to the time of the Knights of Malta, that are still alive today.
Kids and the Malta Carnival
As you can imagine kids get involved in the carnival celebrations. Like Christmas, it is highly anticipated from an early age and they even have a dedicated day during the five-day event. They dress up and parade, play with their friends, enter competitions and learn about the festival’s traditions.
The costumes tend to be the elaborate affairs that many carnivals have. Expect feathers, sparkles, colour…you name it! There is plenty of entertainment for kids of all ages. Like the spontaneous parties that spring in the adult world the freedom for kids to be kids is one of the great things about the carnival. This is increasingly important in a world dominated by mobile phones and online devices.
This video shows how kids enjoy the event.
Carnival Floats: the Colourful, the Grotesque, and the Loud!
Float building of all types is both competitive and elaborate for the festival.
Interestingly, the tradition of float building has changed over the years with companies such as the Dream Team Company making floats for festivals across Europe. They can cost thousands of Euros and teams of 20 plus work on them to make them perfect. Planning normally starts in March and work gets underway in August. Often the floats are used once only and volunteers come together to build the float achieving a common goal.
Here is a good example of the kind of floats and what goes into them from the various families and organisations that build them.
Experiencing Local Culture during Carnival
The Maltese Carnival is definitely one of the best ways to experience the country’s culture and traditions.
Il-Parata
For starters, Il-Parata is one of the key moments of the festivities. It is an ancient dance that commemorates the Knights’ victory against the Ottomans in the Great Siege of 1565. The participants dress up as Knights and Ottomans, armed with wooden swords.
As the dance comes to an end, a little girl is carried and lifted shoulder-high. Taking on the role of L-Għarusa tal-Parata (the bride of the Parata), she is dressed in a white dress and red cloak, carrying a small dagger. This represents Malta’s victory in the Great Siege.
Il-Qarċilla
Don’t miss Il-Qarċilla! This poetic farce is a street performance about a marriage contract. Its roots date back to when local poet Dun Feliċ Demarco wrote the first qarċilla for the 1760 Carnival.
All performers taking part declare what comes to their mind. For example, the kind of gifts the bride and groom will receive from their parents, friends and guests are narrated in rhymed verses. Meanwhile, the notary documents all this to make it legally binding. Generally speaking, you can expect the performance to be a reflection of the political and social situations of the country.
Carnival Sweets
Traditional food pops up at this time of year as well, including the Prinjolata, a white dome-shaped cake that’s very sweet. It is prepared with almonds, eggs, biscuits, cake and seeds, and coated with beaten chocolate, meringue, and cherries. You should also buy some Perlini, colourful sweets made of pure almonds that are also prepared during this time of year.
The History of the Carnival
The word carnival comes from the word carnivore and translates to ‘meat allowed’. It was usually held just before Lent where fasting is still practised to this day. The Malta Carnival as we know it arguably began in the 15th century when the Knights of St. John organised extravagant banquets and masquerades.This tradition was passed on from generation to generation and survived 19th-century British occupation.
Today’s carnival has been shaped over the last 90 years. The artistry of all kinds has been encouraged and the satirical element that makes the carnival unique has been nurtured. Despite Malta’s turbulent history, the carnival likes her people survive. And like her people the carnival prospers.