The Maltese Islands: Endless Mediterranean Summer with Fall Festivals and Events
The Maltese archipelago, with three sister islands, Malta, Gozo, and Comino, located in the Mediterranean, boasts 300 days of sunshine a year and has become a major hub for luxury yacht charter. The Grand Harbour Marina is located in the heart of Valletta, Malta’s Historic home port, its capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Exploring the Maltese islands by yacht is like sailing through 8,000 years of history. With approximately 122 miles of Coastline, Malta’s clear blue sea allows guests to enjoy beautiful, secluded beaches, an abundance of reefs, stunning caverns and caves.
The Maltese Islands, an endless summer in the fall months, offers visitors an exciting and diverse range of festivals and events. This hidden gem is perfect for yachters looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations that have festivals and events that appeal to all interests.
Highlights of Fall Festivals and Events
Notte Bianca – October 7, 2023
Organized by Festivals Malta, Notte Bianca is one of Malta’s biggest annual arts and culture festivals. For one special night, every first Saturday of October, the Valletta cityscape lights up with a spectacular celebration of the arts that is open to the public free of charge. Valletta’s streets, piazzas, churches, state palaces and museums are transformed into venues for a myriad of live performances and concerts, while many cafés and restaurants extend their opening hours.
Rolex Middle Sea Race 2023 – Beginning October 21, 2023, in Valletta’s Grand Harbour
Malta, the crossroads of the Mediterranean, will host the 44th Rolex Middle Sea Race, an iconic
race, featuring some of the world’s premier mariners on the most high-tech vessels in the sea. The race begins in Valletta’s Grand Harbour beneath the historic Fort St. Angelo. Participants will embark on the 606 nautical mile classic, traveling to the Eastern coast of Sicily, up towards the Strait of Messina, before heading North to the Aeolian Islands and the active volcano of Stromboli. Passing between Marettimo and Favignana the crews head South towards the island of Lampedusa, passing Pantelleria on the way back to Malta.
Festivals and Events in Gozo
Though separated from mainland Malta by a mere 5 km (approx. 3 miles) stretch of sea, Gozo is distinctly different. The Island is a third the size of Malta, more rural and much more tranquil. Gozo is known for its picturesque scenery, pristine coastline and untouched country trails. Baroque churches rise from the heart of small villages, and traditional farmhouses dot the rural landscape. Its culture and way of life are rooted in tradition and yet open to the present. Developed just enough but not too much, Gozo is a masterpiece wrought by nature and shaped by 8000 years of culture. Myth and reality meet here on what is believed to have been the Isle of Calypso in Homer’s Odyssey, where the sea nymph held Odysseus (Ulysses) in her thrall for seven years. There is something for everyone on the sun-drenched, warm-hearted eco-island of Gozo. If Odysseus arrived today, he would find it even harder to leave.
Festival Mediterranea – October 14, 2023 to November 18, 2023
The 20th Edition of Festival Mediterranea will be celebrated in Gozo, one of Malta’s sister islands, from October 14, 2023, through November 18, 2023. Opera and other music concerts dominate the celebrations, but there are also international conferences, walks and talks in ancient and historic places, field trips, food and drink events and art exhibitions. Festival Mediterranea offers visitors a great opportunity to learn about Gozo’s temples and archaeological sites through a series of lectures and visits.
Opera is Gozo – October 1 to 31, 2023
October is Opera Month with ‘Opera is Gozo’, a festival celebrating this joyous and rousing art form in various locations around Gozo. The festival includes two fully staged operas performed at The Astra Theater and Aurora Theatre in Victoria as well as recitals, opera appreciation workshops and activities for seasoned opera-goers right through to opera newbies.
For more information on Festivals Malta visit: www.festivals.mt.
For more information on events in Gozo: https://eventsingozo.com/
