Valletta 2018 Foundation shall once again be lending its support to the Summer Carnival – an event that is increasingly gaining popularity in the Maltese islands with local citizens and tourists alike during summer months. This years’s edition shall be held from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st August.

This year’s festivities will include for the first time a carnival parade along the Marsaskala promenade on Sunday 21st from 19:00 onwards. The rest of the programme will take place as usual in Buġibba.

On both Friday 19th and Saturday 20th, the traditional ġostra will be taking place at the bay below Buġibba square. This will be followed by a défilé and parade along the main streets of Buġibba. The ġostra is a traditional game which dates back to the Knights’ period. The word is derived from the Italian giostra, meaning tournament. Locally, however, it refers to a game in which a large pole is mounted on a barge or on a pier, and smeared with grease and animal fat. Competitors would then climb up the pole to reach flags placed at its top and claim a prize, while those who slip would fall into the sea to the merriment of spectators.

This year’s défilé and carnival parade will see the participation of seven dance companies who will perform in the square and during the défilé in carnival costumes. The colourful atmosphere will be further enhanced by eleven new floats which have been created specifically for this event.

The Summer Carnival celebrations are organized by Arts Council Malta with the support of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, the Malta Tourism Authority and the local councils of St Paul’s Bay and Marsaskala.