For a big Irish knees-up!:

Saturday 17th March and Sunday 18th March – St Patrick’s Day Celebrations, Ryan’s Pub & Tigullio in St Julian's; Valletta.

It’s that time of year again! Yes, it’s St Patricks Day! Grab your hat, wear green and head down to Ryan’s Pub and Tigullio in St Julian’s, the nerve centre of the celebrations on Saturday. The revelry is due to start at noon and continue late into the night. In a special St Patrick's Day edition of Lollipop at Tigullio, I.YOU and St John will take over The Dome and keep the crowd going until 4am. It’s bound to be one to remember! And, if you can wake up in time for it, head down to City Gate in Valletta on Sunday where the only St Patrick's Parade will take place until 2pm. Dancers and musicians from Ireland are flying down to perform and take part in the festivities! Check out the events pages for Ryan’s, Lollipop at Tigullio and the St Patrick's Parade for more information!   

A different type of spirit:

Friday 16th March from 7pm: Dark Tales of Mdina & Friday 16th March from 8pm – 11pm: Floriana Ghost Tour XII.

The eve of the weekend is slowly becoming the night to organise ghost tours and there’s not one, but two on this weekend! And, if you rush, you might actually make it to the both! Dark Tales of Mdina starts at 7pm, beginning at the National Museum of Natural History, and will take you on a journey to discover the shadowy world of the fortified town’s past. But, there may be even more horror stories in Floriana – head down there for 8pm and experience the ghoulish stories of murder, fraud and death right on the doors of the island’s capital! For more information on Dark Tales on Mdina, visit the event page, and if you fancy Floriana, more info here. 

The whole weekend’s a stage:

Various times from Saturday 17th – Monday 19th March: HUSH at Teatru Manoel, Valletta; California Suite at the MADC Playhouse in St Venera; En Folkefiende - An Enemy of The People at The Blue Box Theatre at M Space, Msida; and Emergence at the Valletta Campus Theatre (ex-MITP), Valletta.

If you love the theatre, there is so much to choose from this weekend, it’s going to be tough, especially since the standard is so high! From Friday, you can catch California Suite and En Folkefiende - An Enemy of The People at the MADC Playhouse and the Blue Box Theatre respectively, while Saturday will herald in Hush at the Manoel and Emergence at Valletta Campus Theatre (ex-MITP). You could try catch them all for a truly dramatic few days! 

Discover something old:

Sunday 18th March, 9am – 12pm: Open day at Tal-Mintna Catacombs and the chapel at Ħal Millieri – Mqabba. 

A window on the traditions of the past will be opened thanks to this open day of two closely associated sites, organised by Heritage Malta together with Din l-Art Ħelwa. Tal-Mintna Catacombs are a group of three small catacombs probably used around the 4th and 6th centuries AD and remain among the best representations of rural catacombs in Malta. Tours will be given every 20 minutes, but you must book! Check out the event page for more info. 

For comedy and music:

Friday 16th – Saturday 17th March from 7:30pm: Faulty Towers the Dining Experience - The Sheer Bastion, Senglea. 

Basil? Basil??? If you loved Fawlty Towers and could never get enough of it, here’s your chance to revisit some of the classic lines, set-ups and moments with this globetrotting show, featuring the madcap antics of Basil, Sybil and Manuel. The laughs will be served up together with a three-course dinner – hurry though! Booking is an absolute must. For more information, check out the event page. 

Saturday 17th March, 8pm – 10pm: Russian Masters – Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta.

If classical music is more your thing, head down the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on Saturday evening for a standout concert of Russian music. Renowned Venetian pianist Pietro de Maria will be joining the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra for a performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto. Tickets can be bought here and for more information, visit the event page. 

Sunday March 18th at 3pm: Party Tal-Ġenn 2 – Rumours Restaurant, Pieta.

You’ve done St Patrick’s but you’re still in the mood to party. What do you do? Head down to Rumours restaurant in Pieta for an out-there party with the Fuzzhoneys, the garage-surf-rock-indie trio Massacre House Party and DJ Mozzer (Tonio Pace) who will be on the decks mixing 80s/90s/00s tunes. Dress up is compulsory: think Close Encounters of the Third Kind or ET. For more information, go here.

Love the planet:

Saturday 17th March from 11am: Introduction to Permaculture Workshop – Vincent’s Eco-Farm, Zebbiegh.

Learn how to be in perfect symbiosis with the environment with this introductory workshop to permaculture, a philosophy in which we can live as human beings in harmony with nature. While most of the session will be based on theory, you will be able to understand the practical benefits of this approach. Stick around afterwards and enjoy lunch directly from farm to table. Reserve your place by sending an email to [email protected] and click the event page for more info.