carnival

Top Reasons to visit Malta in February

  • Dec 12, 2019

Malta is a fantastic place to visit any time of the year...

You don’t need to save all your holiday time for the summer; beat the January blues and book a trip to Malta in February, you won’t regret it! Malta is a fantastic place to visit any time of the year whether for a short stay over a couple of nights or a longer relaxing break from your normal routine. The weather isn’t too bad at all. You can expect, on average, lows of 9 degrees Celsius and highs of 16 degrees Celsius. It’s only expected to rain 7 days out of the month too, so you should have plenty of opportunity to explore outdoors and walk around some of the great sights. In addition, there are two major events in the calendar in February – the wonderfully romantic Valentine’s weekend, of course, and also, carnival!

Carnival in February in Malta & Gozo

From the 21st to the 25th of February Malta celebrates its history and culture with carnival weekend. The origins of carnival are thought to date back to the 15th century, and there is evidence of the first floats in the 16th century. These floats were mainly decorated ships of the Order of St John that stayed close to land. The first land-based parades were in 1730 and were led by the Grandmaster’s Carriage and his cavalry followed by carriages of the local people decorated especially for the parade. The carnival takes a similar format today in Valletta. The streets are adorned with large colourful cardboard creations and costumed merrymakers and local children love to take part. Surrounding towns and villages have their own more local celebrations too.

 

The display of colour is truly remarkable and makes for some great holiday photos. There will be plenty of outdoor events and street stalls to enjoy. In the evenings, the party continues in the clubs of Paceville and the dress code is – anything goes!

Gozo has a separately organised offshoot of the carnival week, which is more varied. In the centre, in Independence Square, during the day there is a traditional procession. In the evening, Nadur’s carnival kicks off – a satirical “Silent Carnival” with costumes designed to provoke and amuse – this tends to be a more macabre and adult-themed celebration – expect the weird and wonderful!

Visiting Malta for a Romantic Valentine’s Break

There are many places in Malta you can create beautiful memories and be alone with your sweetheart. You can walk through the winding streets of Valletta city, admiring the baroque architecture, or take in the sunset over a candlelit dinner at the Grand Harbour. You can visit any of Malta’s fantastic beaches and leave your footprints in the red sand at Ramla or admire the stunning views from Paradise Bay. If you want somewhere romantic to stay, you can find the perfect suite at a boutique hotel like Casa Ellul, where for example, there is a private roof top hot tub to enjoy day or night, terrace views, roll top baths, stunning breakfast menu and 5-star service to tend to your every need.

Start planning your getaway today, whether it’s a romantic gesture or a culture trip to keep you going until spring.