Malta and Gozo for a mild climate festival

Less than two hours from Italy, Malta experiences Carnival as an explosion of colour, music and creativity. Valletta comes alive with spectacular parades and, on 7 February, with the atmospheric Grandmaster's Ball, a masked evening evoking the baroque elegance of the Knights of Malta. For one night, the Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta seems to come to life from the chronicles of the past, inviting guests to a grand masked ball inspired by the most sumptuous Baroque. The rhythm of the evening grows between toasts, glasses of fine wines, masked encounters and scenic moments that accompany guests until the grand ball, when the entire La Valette hall of the Mediterranean Conference Centre, a marvellous 16th-century palace, comes alive in a play of colours, movements and glances that gives the sensation of having entered another era. One only has to embark for twenty minutes to the island of Gozo, however, to discover another soul of Carnival: more communal, spread throughout the villages and linked to tradition. The celebrations will officially begin on 7 February, with the Gozo Carnival Opening Parade, a parade that fills Victoria with costumes, dance and music in an atmosphere of shared enthusiasm. On 13 February 2026, the main parade will again cross the city with glittering floats, grotesque masks, performances and dance groups transforming the streets into a succession of lively and festive scenes.