If you happened to be spending a break on Malta during the second half of February then carnival tradition and sporting excellence awaited as two of the island's main annual events took place before the end of the month.

Just like many Mediterranean resorts at that time of year, February is carnival time and Malta celebrates in a fairly traditional style. Carnivals have been celebrated on Malta for hundreds of years and in the past included various activities originating from Roman times and the period when the Knights of St. John came to settle on the island. These days jousting tournaments have been replaced by extravagant costume parades and various celebrations all over the island.

As you might expect the largest events were in Valletta, the capital, but carnival also makes its mark in places like Nadur, Floriana and on the island of Gozo. In 2010 the carnival started on Friday the 16th of February and continued until Tuesday the 20th of February, when fireworks filled the sky. In Valletta, Freedom Square was the centre for all the activities. Some of the events in Freedom Square involved paying a charge of 10 Euros to enter the main enclosure. In particular, this included the main Grand Carnival Show which took place on Sunday the 14th of February at 2pm in the afternoon.

There were two carnival parades in Valletta, the first on Saturday morning at 10:30 and a second Carnival Band parade on Monday the 15th of February. Looking at the photographs from previous years, as usual the carnival floats seemed particularly impressive, and if you are in Malta this time of year, it should definatley not be missed.

On the 28th of February Malta's International Marathon took place, an event which we will cover in more detail in another post shortly.