Your Guide to Malta’s Best September Feasts
Naxxar Parish Church
Most people assume festa season winds down once August is over. It doesn’t. September has a solid run of its own, and the weather actually makes it the better month for standing about in a crowded square for a few hours. Less heat, same brass bands, same fireworks.
6 September
Żurrieq
The 6 September is a busy one, with several villages celebrating at once. Żurrieq does St Catherine of Alexandria down south, and it’s a loud one, red and white bunting everywhere and band marches that go on for hours. Qawra’s St Francis of Assisi is a smaller affair up north, worth a look if you’d rather avoid the bigger crowds. Sliema celebrates St Gregory, and being central and by the seafront, it’s an easy one to combine with dinner and a walk along the front afterwards.
8 September
Mellieħa
The 8 September is where it gets tricky, because Naxxar and Mellieħa are both celebrating the Nativity of Our Lady on the same day. Naxxar is famous for its petards, some of the loudest going, so bring earplugs if that’s not your thing. Mellieħa sits up on a hill with views down to the sea, which makes the walk up worth it even before the procession starts. Senglea does Our Lady of Victories in the Three Cities, and Xagħra in Gozo celebrates the same Nativity feast as Naxxar and Mellieħa, with its basilica lit up for the occasion.
13 September
Żabbar
Żabbar’s festa for Our Lady of Graces falls on 13 September, and it’s worth planning around if fireworks are your thing. The displays there have a good name for a reason.
20 September
Kirkop
Kirkop closes things out on 20 September with St Leonard, a much quieter village festa with less of the bigger crowds, a decent way to end the run.
Worth knowing before you go, most of these festas run over a full week or more, but the feast day itself is usually the big one, when the statue gets carried out and through the streets. Church interiors get done up with damask and silver for the occasion, so it’s worth stepping inside even if you’re only there for the band marches outside. Food stalls set up in the main squares selling the usual nougat, hot dogs and cold drinks, and parking gets difficult fast in the smaller villages, so turning up early or walking in from further out is usually the better option. Buses do get diverted around some of the bigger festas too, so check before relying on one to get you there.
If you’re going to more than one of these, wear old shoes, keep back from the petards, and don’t expect an early night.
