Before the time of deckchairs and umbrella rentals.
Beach life in the 1950s and 1960s looked a little different than it does today. Retro beachwear aside, a glance at some beautiful vintage photos at the time reveal a fashionable item that has since fallen out of favour: the beach tent.
Ghajn Tuffieha in the 1950s - Joseph Bugeja via Malta Lura Fil Passat / Facebook
In a number of vintage photos posted to social media, locals reminisce about a time that a day at the beach meant setting up your own tent, often using a striped sheet and a complicated assortment of metal pipes. Sounds… heavy.
Golden Bay in 1960 - David Woolfenden via Nostalgia Malta / Facebook
Before the time of deckchair and umbrella rentals, locals would set up these square tents to shelter their families from the baking sun, and they made for a pretty addition to the beach scene!
Maria Micallef via Nostalgia Malta / Facebook
The photos also reveal a distinct lack of people on Malta’s beaches, which nowadays can get overcrowded in the height of summer.
David Woolfenden via Nostalgia Malta / Facebook
Do you remember setting up a tent on the beach when you were young?