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Stayed home? Here’s what went down at Carnival 2022
Did you know we've been celebrating carnival for centuries?

Kim Vella

The most colourful, energetic, and rowdy time of the year has come and gone!  

Carnival, a days-long celebration that brings the community together like nothing else, fills the country’s streets with late-night music, larger than life floats, and downright wacky costumes. 

Missed out on this year’s celebrations? 

Worry not! Here are some highlights of what went down at this year's carnival 

The island's largest celebrations usually occur in Valletta and Floriana, as parades, multi-coloured floats, and groups of dancers take to the historic cities’ streets 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, last weekend’s festivities were slightly different. 

This year, the National and Regional Holidays Committee and the Ministry for Gozo organised "artistic installations with a carnivalesque element as well as an exhibition of carnival costumes along Republic Street and in Independence Square, in Victoria."  

This eye-catching exhibition showed off some of the best floats of the year for pedestrians to enjoy!  

Carnival may have become an intrinsic part of Maltese culture, but the festival’s roots go way back! 

These celebrations have been taking place for centuries, making Carnival one of the oldest historical festivals in Malta. Records of the islands celebrating Carnival date back to the Knights of St John era. 

This video, dating back to 1962, shows thousands of Maltese gathering in the capital to get a peek at the floats.  

These photos taken by Emanuel Borg, dating back to 1949, perfectly encompass onlookers’ excitement as they get a glimpse of some bombastic artistic creations. 

Main image: Facebook/ Cultural Heritage Directorate, Ministry for Gozo

Social media image: Instagram/ julijane.maltawedding

Social media image: Instagram/ thedoimalta

28th February 2022


Kim Vella
Written by
Kim Vella
A highly curious explorer always looking to find her next adventure. Kim loves sharing her experiences and what's happening on the Maltese Islands. When not writing, you’ll probably find her playing around with some clay or somewhere surrounded by trees. She's always up for listening to people's stories about anything to do with nature, a passion project or issue you feel needs tending to.

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