Festival season in Spain and Malta

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With summer holidays on the horizon there are lots of things to consider when booking a trip. The festival seasons throughout Spain and in Malta are bursting with culture, giving you cheap holidays with memories that will last a lifetime.

The main points to consider when going on your holidays in Spain or Malta are the events taking place, the weather that is to be expected and correct preparation to put in place. The advantage of visiting these countries in the summer is that the weather is guaranteed to be warm.

With the peace of mind gained from knowing the sun will be shining and the nights will be balmy you can begin to plan your activities long in advance. Meaning it’s time to search the festival calendar of the area you want to visit.

There is nothing that can replicate the magic of a traditional festival in Spain or Malta.

Museums provide with an insight into an area’s culture and nightclubs are great for cutting loose but festivals combine the two, allowing you to take part in the traditional customs and share fun filled experiences with the locals.

Festivals in Malta

A typical Maltese festival will last for three days or longer. On any of these evenings the community will be in high spirits. These festivals are celebrated in each village and are known as Festas – they are not hard to find, as each community will attempt to out-do their neighbours with the loudest fireworks displays. Fast food stands line the streets as each village celebrates their patron saint. Popular Maltese festival food includes nougat and other sweet delicacies.

The festival season in Malta starts at the beginning of May and runs through to September. At the beginning of June Malta celebrates the festival of Mnarja and Mid-August will see numerous villages partying for the feast of Santa Marija. The local residents decorate their balconies, dressing them in colours representing the feast they are supporting. Festoons of blue, red and green will signify this.

Festivals in Spain

Spain has a large variety of festivals taking place over the year. La Tomatina is a particularly interesting one. Once a year the small town of Buñol hosts a tomato throwing festival on a grand scale. This is in honour of the patron saint of the town. Leading up to the fight the town celebrates with parades, fireworks and street parties. Approximately 150,000 tomatoes are thrown between 11am – 1pm with showers available for participants to wash off afterwards.

Other large festivals include Valencia's Las Fallas. On the last evening of the week-long festival, huge papier-mâché caricatures of Spanish celebrities are set on fire – some being 30ft high and stuffed with fireworks. This year the streets of Valencia will light up for the culmination of Las Fallas on the evening of March 19th.

Incorporating a festival adds a hands-on, traditional element to the experience of holidays in Spain and holidays to Malta. The reason that both these countries festivals are superb for visitors is that all embody the belief in ‘the more the merrier’.