A wide shot of an opulent Opera House taken from the rear of the auditorium. The red chairs of the stalls stretch out in front, with three rows of boxes lining either side.

Opera on Gozo 2027: Otello, Carmen, Macbeth and Tickets

By Kerry Gaffney | Last Updated 02/11/2026

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Gozo has the highest concentration of opera houses in the world, with two a few minutes’ walk apart on the same street in Victoria, and every October they each stage a full production. For an island this size that is an unlikely arrangement, and it is one of the best reasons to come to Gozo in autumn.

Next up is Verdi’s Otello at the Aurora on Saturday 24 April 2027, then Carmen at the Aurora and Macbeth at the Astra next October.

Next Up: Otello, April 2027

Otello, Teatru tal-Opra Aurora

Verdi’s Otello is part of the 20th Gaulitana Festival of Music, and it’s a production with some history behind it. The Aurora planned it for 2020 before the pandemic cancelled it, and the house gave the opera its Gozo premiere back in 1995. This new Gaulitanus production follows Nabucco in 2025 and Il Trovatore in 2026.

Colin Attard conducts the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gaulitanus Choir, with Enrico Castiglione directing. The cast hasn’t been announced yet. The performance is part of an OPERA+ Weekend, three days of cultural events around the island. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Date: Saturday 24 April 2027
Time: doors 18:45, curtain 19:30, with a 30-minute interval
Cost: €60 to €100, premium boxes for four €550
Location: Teatru tal-Opra Aurora, Republic Street, Victoria

October 2027: Carmen and Macbeth

Carmen, Teatru tal-Opra Aurora

The Aurora has paired two jubilees with two operas: La Traviata for the theatre’s 50th birthday in 2026, and Bizet’s Carmen for 50 years of opera on Gozo in 2027. Carmen has a strong track record at the house, with productions in 1988, 2000, 2010 and 2016, so this is a return to a proven crowd-pleaser. It sits within a wider anniversary programme running over the year, with details still to be announced.

Date: Saturday 16 October 2027
Cost: to be announced
Location: Teatru tal-Opra Aurora, Republic Street, Victoria

Macbeth, Teatru Astra

Verdi’s take on the Scottish play returns to the Astra thirty years after its 1997 production, in which Joseph Calleja made his operatic debut as Macduff. The theatre staged it again in 2007. Cast, creative team and ticket prices for 2027 haven’t been announced yet. Part of Festival Mediterranea.

Date: Thursday 28 and Saturday 30 October 2027
Cost: to be announced
Location: Teatru Astra, Republic Street, Victoria

Top Tip: the two productions are twelve days apart, so seeing both means either a two-week stay or two separate trips. If you’re the sort who books a year ahead, now is the time to decide which one to build your trip around.

The Opera is Gozo Programme

Each October the Ministry for Gozo runs a month of satellite events around the two productions: concerts, recitals, exhibitions and chapel trails, nearly all free and none requiring formal dress. The 2027 programme hasn’t been published yet, and will be listed on Events on Gozo.

How to Book

Aurora sells through teatruaurora.com, Astra through teatruastra.org.mt. Both take online bookings and both will post tickets to you once payment clears, which is worth doing if you’re travelling. If you’re already on the island you can collect from either box office, though the Astra prefers an appointment.

The best seats go early at both houses, particularly the boxes. Premium boxes at the Aurora seat four and include champagne or wine with butler service.

Two Theatres, One Month

Teatru tal-Opra Aurora is Gozo’s largest indoor venue, seating around 1,600. Its auditorium holds 60 hand-painted pieces by the Maltese artist Emvin Cremona, worked from traditional Gozitan lace patterns. It was built in 1976 by the Leone Philharmonic Society, with local musicians, craftsmen and volunteers doing much of the work.

Teatru Astra opened eight years earlier, in 1968, growing out of the Astra Band Club’s social hall. It seats roughly 1,200 across stalls, a central balcony and two tiers of boxes flanking the auditorium. Both have the acoustics and sightlines to make the cheap seats worth it.

A High Brow Rivalry

Rivalry runs through Maltese culture, from sport to church architecture to festas and fireworks. The word for it is pika, pronounced pee-ka, and it means a deep-seated competitiveness. On an island where neighbours keep a close eye on each other, the urge to outdo your friends is strong. Villages compete for national and world records, including the largest strawberry roly-poly and the biggest firework wheel.

The two opera houses are the high-culture version. Their proximity fuels a friendly but determined contest over staging, casting and design, and audiences are the beneficiaries, not least because it keeps ticket prices sensible.

The history has some good moments. Aurora staged La Traviata and La Bohème on consecutive days in the late 1970s. Astra answered with back-to-back Rigoletto and The Barber of Seville in 1978. My favourite came in 1999, when Astra planned a live horse on stage for Aida and Aurora responded with two. Astra’s move into musicals began with Grease in 2016, which brought in an audience that had never set foot in either house.

During the season Republic Street is hung with chandeliers, and opening nights draw the Prime Minister and the President along with everyone else in their finest get-ups.

How Opera Came to Gozo

Opera reached Malta in 1631, when Italian musicians performed at the Auberge d’Italie in Valletta for the Knights of Saint John. The Manoel Theatre staged its first opera on 19 January 1732, and the Royal Opera House followed in 1866 with double the Manoel’s capacity, until a bombing raid destroyed it in 1942.

After the war, Malta’s operatic centre of gravity shifted to Gozo, where it has stayed. The reason is the band clubs, particularly the two oldest, Soċjetà Filarmonika Leone and Soċjetà Filarmonika La Stella, both founded in 1863. Band clubs began as musical societies supporting village feasts, and both opera houses grew directly out of them.

That tradition now has a bigger stage to play to. Victoria, home to both houses, has been recommended as European Capital of Culture for 2031.

What to Wear

Both theatres expect formal dress for the opera itself. The Aurora puts it best: you can never be over-dressed for an opera at the Aurora. For concerts, musicals and the rest of the October programme, normal clothes are fine.

Where to Stay

Victoria puts you within walking distance of both theatres, which matters on a night when you’re in good shoes and the last bus has long gone.

Dining for a Performance Night

A night at the opera deserves excellent dining before or after the show. In Victoria, favourites include:

Getting There and Parking

Both theatres are on Republic Street in the centre of Victoria, which is pedestrianised. Park on the streets running off it and walk the last few minutes, and allow longer than you think on an opera night.

Coming from Malta for Otello

The Aurora is running a shuttle bus for Otello between Mġarr and the theatre, so you can come over from Malta on foot without a car or an overnight stay.

Route: Mġarr ferry terminal to Teatru Aurora and back.
Departs: 18:15 from Mġarr, timed to meet the 17:45 crossing from Ċirkewwa.
Returns: from outside the theatre at the end of the performance.
Cost: €3 return, paid at Mġarr before you set off.
Booking: required, by email to [email protected].

Otello falls on a Saturday on the summer ferry timetable, so the late boats are on your side. The last Valletta Highspeed leaves Mġarr at 00:45, the last Sliema and Buġibba boat at 00:15, and the Gozo Channel ferry to Ċirkewwa runs through the night.

Top Tip: book the shuttle when you book your seats. It can’t be booked on the night.

If you’re driving, allow 15 minutes from Mġarr to Victoria and more on the night, and be prepared to park a walk away.

FAQ

The main season is October, every year, with spring productions too: the Aurora’s Otello is on 24 April 2027. The exact dates change, so check  Teatru Astra and Teatru Aurora for the current programme.

Teatru tal-Opra Aurora stages Verdi’s Otello on 24 April and Bizet’s Carmen on 16 October. Teatru Astra stages Verdi’s Macbeth on 28 and 30 October.

Through the official theatre websites, teatruaurora.com and teatruastra.org.mt, or direct from the box offices. Both will post tickets to you. Book early, particularly for boxes.

Yes. Both theatres expect formal attire for opera performances. For other shows, casual is fine.

Both stage concerts, musicals and pantomimes through the rest of the year, alongside drama and one-off recitals.

If your children already enjoy opera, bring them. If you’re introducing them to it, the rest of the October programme is the gentler way in, with open-air concerts, recitals and workshops, most of them free.

Yes, both offer assistance. Contact them in advance so they can plan for what you need.

For a 19:30 curtain, take the 17:45 Gozo Channel crossing from Ċirkewwa at the latest. If you’re driving, allow an hour from Ċirkewwa for the crossing, the drive up to Victoria and parking. On the Valletta Highspeed or Sliema-Buġibba ferry, aim to reach Mġarr by 18:30. The 301 bus runs frequently from the harbour to Victoria and takes around 15 minutes.