Traditional Maltese Feast streamers (pavaljuni) in red and gold.

Gozo Feasts 2026: Complete Guide to Village Festa Dates

By Kerry Gaffney | Last Updated 05/06/2026

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Gozo feasts are the heart and soul of the island’s cultural calendar. They take place throughout the year but May to September is peak Gozo Festa Season, with each village bursting into colour with spectacular celebrations honouring their patron saints. Expect lively brass band marches, dazzling fireworks, and streets adorned with banners and lights. These festi blend centuries-old traditions with joyful street parties, offering visitors a unique chance to experience Gozitan community spirit, local delicacies, and unforgettable summer nights. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a returning traveller, planning your trip around Gozo’s feasts is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the island’s vibrant heritage and hospitality.

What’s On: Gozo Feast Dates 2026

Gozo’s feast season runs from February through to December, with the summer months packed with celebrations. Here’s what’s coming up next and where to find out more before you go, just click through to the village guide or feast page for the full programme.

Quick Questions FAQ

The St George feast takes place on 19 July 2026 in Victoria. It’s one of the largest celebrations on the island, centred on St George’s Square in the heart of the city. The feast runs over several days, with band marches, fireworks and the grand Sunday procession drawing crowds from across Gozo and beyond.

The Xagħra feast of the Nativity of Our Lady takes place on 8 September 2026. The date also coincides with a public holiday in Malta, Victory Day, which celebrates the ending of three historical sieges; the Great Siege of Malta (1565); the Siege of Valletta by the French (1798 – 1800); and the Siege of Malta during the Second World War

Sharing the date gives this feast a unique energy with Xagħra’s large village square coming into its own for the celebrations. This feast is one of the most atmospheric on the island.

Għajnsielem celebrates twice. The feast of St Anthony of Padua takes place on 24 May 2026, kicking off Gozo’s festa season for the summer. The feast of Our Lady of Loreto follows on 30 August 2026. The Loreto feast is the larger of the two and includes a distinctive community tradition: each year a unique cloth is chosen, and villagers buy lengths of it to make into matching garments worn throughout the celebrations.

The Nadur feast of St Peter and St Paul takes place on 29 June 2026. It’s one of the most energetic celebrations on Gozo, known for powerful fireworks displays and a strong local atmosphere. If you want to experience a feast at full volume, Nadur delivers.

If you hear loud bangs during your visit to Gozo, it’s almost certainly petards: the traditional ground-level fireworks that are an essential part of every Gozitan festa. Petards are set off throughout the feast period, often early in the morning and late at night, to announce the feast and build excitement in the village. They are extremely loud but completely harmless to bystanders. If you are a light sleeper or staying near a village during festa season, earplugs are genuinely worth packing.

One thing to note: for feasts in Victoria and Kerċem, petards are sometimes set off from the top of Gelmus hill, so the sound carries well beyond the village itself.

Finally, if you’re interested in the history of petards, the Cathedral Museum in the Cittadella has a small display of them through the ages.

A Gozo festa is a village feast held in honour of a patron saint, and they are unlike anything else on the island. Each feast typically runs over several days, building toward the main feast day with brass band marches, concerts, decorated streets, daytime petards and evening fireworks, and a Sunday procession carrying the statue of the patron saint through the village. The celebrations belong first to the community: generations of Gozitans grow up knowing which weekend is theirs. Visitors are warmly welcomed and if you get the chance to experience one, we highly recommend you take it.

No. Village feasts are free, public celebrations open to everyone. You can walk through the decorated streets, watch the band marches, and stay for the fireworks without any tickets or booking. Church services and processions are also generally open to visitors, though it’s worth being respectful of the religious elements, particularly during the procession itself.

Absolutely! Events on Gozo are almost always family-friendly and you’ll often find stores with toys alongside the food stalls. The one thing to prepare for is noise: daytime petards are very loud, and fireworks continue well into the night. Earplugs are worth packing if you’re bringing younger children.

Daytime fireworks (petards) usually go off at 08:00 and midday, sometimes you might hear them in the late afternoon. Evening aerial fireworks usually start after sunset, so around 9pm in summer, although some start even later, and they can all run until after midnight. The Saturday evening of a feast weekend generally has the most spectacular display. If you’re not sure what to expect, arriving before sunset and staying through the evening is the best way to experience the full atmosphere.

While Victoria’s St George feast on 19 July is large, with the main celebrations centred on St George’s Square, I think that the feast of Santa Marija, 15 August, might just edge it. It coincides with the public holiday of the same name, which is one of the most important in the Maltese calendar. It also takes place in Victoria, this time focused around the Cathedral in the Cittadella and the Aurora Theatre. The Aurora is one of Gozo’s two opera houses and also the home band club for the Cathedral parish.

There is a friendly rivalry between the feasts, and their respective band clubs, with each striving to out-do the other.

Outside of the capital, Nadur’s feast of St Peter and St Paul on 29 June is known for some of the most powerful fireworks on the island. If you prefer something more distinctive, Għarb’s Visitation feast on 5 July features the Infiorata, where the street is carpeted in flower petals before the procession passes over it. Each feast has its own character, and size isn’t everything.

Bus services run between most villages but become less frequent after around 9pm, so check the Tallinja app before you go and know your last bus time. For later evenings, Bolt and eCabs are the most reliable options on Gozo. If you’re staying in Victoria or within walking distance of the feast village, that’s the simplest solution of all. You can find full details in our guide to getting around Gozo.

If you do take a car, be warned, it will most likely take you far longer to find a parking spot than it took you to drive there.

Gozo Feast Dates 2026

Here’s a list of Gozo’s village feasts in 2026, complete with dates. Gozo festa events usually take place over several days before the feast day itself. Clicking the feast’s name should lead you to more information about what is happening and when. However, we can’t guarantee that. Also most of these links are Facebook pages, which are usually the only source of information for Gozo village events.

Village

Feast Name

Date

Marsalforn

Saint Paul

February 25

Kerċem

Gregory the Great

March 8

Għajnsielem

St. Anthony of Padua

May 24

Munxar

St. Paul Shipwreck

May 31

Għasri

Corpus Christi

June 7

Fontana

Sacred Heart of Jesus

June 14

Xewkija

St John the Baptist

June 21

Għarb

Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu

June 22

Nadur

St Peter and St Paul

June 29

Għarb

The Visitation of Our Lady

July 5

Kerċem

Our Lady of Relief

July 12

Victoria

St George

July 19

Ta’ Sannat

St Margaret

July 26

Qala

St Joseph

August 2

San Lawrenz

St Lawrence

August 9

Victoria

The Assumption of Our Lady

August 15

Żebbuġ

The Assumption of Our Lady

August 23

Għajnsielem

Our Lady of Loreto

August 30

Xlendi

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

September 6

Xagħra

The Nativity of Our Lady

September 8

Victoria

Our Lady of Graces

September 13

Xagħra

Jesus of Nazareth

September 27

Għasri

Our Lady of Patronage

October 11

Victoria

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

December 8

Qala

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

December 8

Santa Luċija

Santa Luċija

December 13

Looking ahead to 2027? Gozo feast dates for 2027 will be added here as soon as they are confirmed. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know.

The History of Gozo’s Feasts

The tradition of festi dates back to the 16th century during the rule of the Knights of St. John. Originally solemn religious ceremonies held within churches, these events gradually expanded into grand community celebrations. Villages began competing to create the most elaborate displays of devotion and festivity, a rivalry that continues to this day.

Today, festi are a blend of spiritual reverence and lively entertainment. They feature illuminated streets, brass band marches, fireworks, and processions that draw thousands of locals and visitors alike.

What to Expect at a Gozo Feast

A typical Gozitan village festa is a multi-day event filled with activities for all ages:

  • Church Ceremonies: Masses and novenas dedicated to the patron saint.

  • Street Decorations: Villages are adorned with colourful banners, twinkling lights, and statues of saints.

  • Processions: At the heart of most feasts is the statue procession. The parish saint’s statue is brought out of its alcove and carried through the village streets to a decorative platform, where it remains for a period before being returned to the church. It sounds simple, but in practice it’s one of the most quietly moving things you can witness on Gozo.

    Some villages have multiple processions within a single feast. Kerċem is a good example: the feast of Our Lady of Succour involves three. First comes the children’s procession, where the parish youth carry a smaller statue of Our Lady through the streets. Then there is the procession of the Two, which features a large statue of Our Lady alongside St Gregory, the village’s other patron saint. Finally, the main procession carries the large statue of Our Lady herself.

  • Band Marches: Brass bands parade through streets playing traditional Maltese music.

  • Fireworks: Spectacular pyrotechnic displays light up the skies both day and night.

  • Food Stalls: Enjoy local delicacies like mqaret (date pastries), nougat, and pastizzi.

  • Unique Traditions: Some villages incorporate special activities like horse racing or artistic displays.
Statue of three saints being carried at shoulder height past a church.

Where to Stay for a Gozo Feast

Planning to visit during the celebrations? Use the interactive map above to easily find and book the best accommodation near each village feast.

Top Tip: Staying in the heart of a village puts you right in the middle of the festivities, you won’t miss a moment of the action.

But keep in mind: village feasts bring early morning church bells and late-night fireworks and music. For the best of both worlds, consider booking a place just a short walk from the main square or church. You’ll enjoy the celebrations and still have a peaceful spot to retreat to when you’re ready to unwind.

Unique Village Traditions

One of the wonderful things about Gozo’s Feasts, is that some villages take their feasts to another level by incorporating distinctive customs:

Għarb’s Infiorata (Feast of the Visitation)

In Għarb, a floral carpet (Infiorata) is created using thousands of flower petals arranged into intricate designs.

On feast day, the statue of Our Lady is carried over this carpet during a solemn procession.

Xlendi’s Greasy Pole (ġostra)

The highlight of Xlendi’s feast is watching the attempts to walk along a greased pole suspended over water to grab a flag—a thrilling test of balance!

Men and boys in swimming shorts gather on the edge of Xlendi Bay by a greasy pole that juts out over the water.

Għajnsielem’s Cloth Tradition (Our Lady of Loreto)

In a tradition dating back to the 1980s, each year a unique and distinctive cloth is selected and villages buy lengths of it to craft into matching garments.

Santa Marija Horse Races (Victoria)

Horses race up Republic Street, which used to be called Racecourse Street, in Victoria.

Tips for Enjoying Gozo’s Feasts

  • Plan Ahead: Check dates in advance as accommodations fill up quickly during feast weekends. You’ll usually find updates on the village church’s facebook page.

  • Arrive Early: Secure a good viewing spot for parades or fireworks.

  • Embrace Local Cuisine: Don’t miss out on traditional treats like nougat or mqaret.

  • Dress Comfortably: Light clothing is ideal for summer feasts; bring layers for winter events.

Gozo’s feast season is one of the best reasons to time a visit carefully. Whether you end up in a small village square watching a procession pass in near-silence, or standing in Victoria as fireworks crack overhead and the band marches through, you’ll find something that sticks with you. If you’re planning your trip around a feast, our monthly What’s On guides have the full picture of what else is happening that week.

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