If your children love to dress up and enjoy carnival with all its colours and fun atmosphere, this year there are plenty of opportunities to do so, both in Malta and Gozo. Besides Valletta and Victoria, many localities are holding festivities.
Celebrations in Malta
Festivals Malta are once again holding the primary events in Valletta, but other celebrations are taking place in Ħamrun on February 4 from 10am onwards and, for the first time, in Żurrieq and Marsa on February 8 from 6pm onwards.
Mosta is also holding a host of carnival activities on February 9.
The Għaxaq local council is holding its traditional spontaneous carnival on February 11, 12 and 13.
The official Valletta programme kicks off on February 9 with competitive dances by dance companies from Sections D, B and A, and a parade with the participation of King Carnival, featuring grotesque masks, dance company floats Section A and triumphal floats from Section D.
The children’s carnival will be held on the morning of February 10. This year, the children’s carnival at St George’s Square features the participation of dance schools together with all the competitive dance companies from section C. The event features a parade led by the King Carnival float and triumphal floats from section C. The parade will then continue along Republic Street.
The Valletta festivities will end with a grand finale on February 13 from 6pm, when all the competition floats will parade along St Anne Street, Floriana.
For all the details, visit festivals.mt/karnival and the Facebook pages of the individual local councils.
Gozo Regional Carnival
The Gozo Regional Carnival will be held between February 9 and 13, with main activities being held in Victoria.
The Victoria carnival parade on February 11, 12 and 13 (the grand finale) starts at the beginning of Republic Street and culminates at Independence Square (It-Tokk), where a dancing spectacle with the participation of dance companies and carnival groups ensues. There will also be humorous sketches, triumphal floats, local bands and grotesque masks.
Other Gozitan towns and villages will hold their own activities on different days.
Organised carnival festivities will be held in Għarb and Nadur on February 8 in Munxar, on the 9th in Qala, on the 10th in Għajnsielem and Xagħra, and on the 11th in Xewkija, Xagħra, Żebbuġ, San Lawrenz and Sannat.
Nadur will have its spontaneous carnival from February 9 to 13.
For more information, log on to visitgozo.com.
For more carnival-related events, click here. For more Child stories, follow this link.
