St Dominic, Valletta

The Dominican church, also known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Safe Haven (Porto Salvo), is one of Valletta’s three parishes and was built by Girolamo Cassar, the architect of the new capital. It was declared “the principal parish and matrix of the whole of the new city” by Pope Pius V. It was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1816. The present church was consecrated in 1889, after the original one was heavily damaged in the earthquake of 1693.

Join the children’s festa on Friday 3rd August from 9am when the little ones carry a smaller version of the titular statue through the streets of Valletta. It will then be the adults’ turn that evening from 9pm, with the (bigger) statue  finally being placed on its pedestal in front of St John’s Co-Cathedral at midnight. The traditional Morning March takes place on Saturday from 9:30am, and this is when the locals really let their hair down. Expect joyous brass band music and lots of boisterous merry-making. The party continues that evening, culminating with the mechanised ground fireworks near Fort St Elmo at 11pm. The more solemn (and decidedly more sober) part of the festa is on Sunday, when the procession with the titular statue of St Dominic starts at 7:15pm.

St Peter in Chains, Birzebbuga

Inhabited since time immemorial, the fishing town of Birzebbuga (which means well of olives in Maltese) on Malta’s southern shore is home to Malta Freeport - the first transhipment hub in the Mediterranean and now one of the busiest ports in Europe. Its jurassic-park-like cranes contrast markedly with Pretty Bay, the town’s beloved sandy beach. On the town’s doorstep is Ghar Dalam, where the earliest evidence of human presence on Malta was discovered. The town itself is dotted with historic buildings charting Birzebbuga’s chequered past.

Against this backdrop of history and industry is the relatively modern church of St Peter in Chains, which opened in 1938, taking over from the previous parish church, which was nothing more than three converted stables. With its strong maritime tradition, Birzebbuga even takes its patron saint to sea. The town’s band clubs sail their statues across the bay on their boats on Thursday and Friday. And this year’s children’s procession takes place today, Tuesday 31st July, and will debut a new statue of St Peter. 

Our Lady of Lourdes, San Gwann

The town of San Gwann was established after World War II, when new residences started being built in the area between the seaside village of St Julian's and the old town of Birkirkara inland. The Capuchins were asked by the then archbishop to take care of the spiritual welfare of the new residents, and by 1959, they had completed works on a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Lourdes. It became a parish in 1965.

This year’s feast will be especially poignant for the locals as they will celebrate it in honour of Colin Muscat, licensee of the town’s own Ta’ Lourdes Fireworks Factory, who tragically lost his life while preparing fireworks on 26th May. 

St Joseph, Qala (Gozo)

Perched on Gozo’s south-eastern rugged coastline, Qala commands views of sister islands Comino and Malta across the channel. It is believed that one of its churches, dedicated to Madonna tal-Blat (Our Lady of the Rocks), was built facing Comino so that the inhabitants of the tiny island could follow Mass from across the straits when bad weather stopped the priest from crossing over. The rural area features one of the earliest Marian shrines on the island, the chapel of the Immaculate Conception, dating back to 1575. The present parish church dedicated to St Joseph was built between 1882 and 1889.

After swimming and snorkelling in the crystalline waters of Hondoq ir-Rummien bay, stay on to join in the celebrations of the town’s patron saint. Don’t miss the mechanised ground fireworks display on Saturday evening which is nothing short of spectacular, and come back on Sunday evening for the aerial fireworks regarded as one of the best in Gozo.