This year’s summer carnival will also take place in Marsascala

This year’s summer carnival will be held on 19, 20 and 21 August and for the first time, festivities will include the introduction of a carnival parade along the Marsascala promenade.

A total of 11 floats, which have been created specifically for this event, are expected to take part in the event which will take place in Bugibba on 19 and 20 August, and then proceed to the southern part of the island, in Marsascala on 21 August.

The programme will take place as usual in Buġibba, a tourist hotspot where the summer carnival is quickly becoming an awaited, yearly event. On both Friday, 19 and Saturday, 20 August the traditional ġostra will be taking place at the bay below Buġibba square. The ġostra is a tradi- tional game which goes 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 then climb up the pole to reach the flags placed at its top and claim a prize, while those who slip would fall into the sea.

This year’s défilé and carnival parade will see the participation of seven dance companies who will perform in Bugibba’s Square.

The summer carnival celebrations are organised 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 Marsascala.