In honour of Victory Day, which falls on the 8th of September, Heritage Malta will be opening Fort St Angelo to the public at a reduced price of €3! Visitors can even access the upper parts of the fort, which are administered by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Victory Day commemorates 3 events in Maltese History: the ending of the Great Siege of 1565, that is, when Ottoman forces gave up after three months of attempting to take over the Maltese Islands; the end of a two-year siege and blockade of Valletta by the French in 1800; and the date when Fascist Italy’s surrender was made public in 1943, giving Malta a break from the constant attacks during World War Two.

In remembrance of these events, Heritage Malta has created a programme of activities at the Fort, which is situated in Vittoriosa, at the centre of the Grand Harbour.

The morning will start with two masses, one at 10am at the Chapel of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and another at noon in the Chapel of St Anne. Between these two masses, at 11am, there will be a commemoration at the Victory of the Great Siege Monument held in collaboration with the National Festivals Committee. Following the commemoration, there will be a Sea Cadets demonstration at Upper St Angelo.

Throughout the afternoon, there will be numerous displays and historical re-enactments provided by several organisations, including the Show of Arms, Compagnia San Michele, the Historical Re-enactment Group of Malta, the Malta Historical Fencing Association, Battlefront Living History Group, Malta Command, and Battlefields Living History Re-enactment Troops.

Fort St Angelo will be open from 9am until 6pm, with final admission taking place at 5:30pm. Visitors can also enjoy great views of the annual Regatta contest with some refreshments from the bar.

If you’d like to buy tickets, they can only be purchased at the door. Children under the age of 11 can enter free, as well as Heritage Malta members, who need only present their membership card to enter.

For more information, feel free to check out Heritage Malta’s website, as well as their social media pages.

Are you planning on visiting this historic site?

 Heritage Malta