Mechanised Ground Fireworks Festival back for 13th edition

The thirteenth edition of the National Mechanised Ground Fireworks Festival will be held on Saturday 4 May and will see eight fireworks factories compete for the title of national champion.

The festival, which will be held at the Floriana Granaries, is being organised by the Floriana local council in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority, and the Tourism Ministry.

It will be held on the eve of the feast of St Publius. 

In a statement, the local council said that like in previous years, each of the participants will be competing by exhibiting two mechanised catherine wheels each.

It added that the winner would be chosen on the merits of three categories: best mechanism, best products used and originality of exhibition in terms of design and movement.

The jury will be composed of three pyrotechnics experts as well as “a Maltese national, and expert in the local pyrotechnic tradition” who will act as chairman to the jury.

Fireworks will be evaluated during assembly, during combustion as well as through videos before the winner is announced the following Monday.

Floriana mayor Davina Sammut Hili said the council had felt the need to revisit the festival in order to attract more visitors while keeping returning attendees satisfied.

As of this year, she said, the previous year’s winner would be commissioned to close the festival with a display known as “it-tapit” that “crosses the entire width of the granaries”.

Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi lauded the initiative while stressing that the event could yet grow and improve in quality.

For this reason, he said that the Malta Tourism Authority had felt the need to support the festival by placing it in its annual “tourist calendar”.

The participants in this year’s festival are:

St Gabriel’s Band Club Firework’s Association – Balzan

St Peter in Chains Fireworks Commission – Birzebbuga

Our Lady of the Girdle Fireworks Complex – Gudja

Our Lady of Lily Fireworks Complex – Mqabba

St Philip Fireworks Complex- Zebbug

Our Lad of Mount Carmel Fireworks Complex – Zurrieq

St Catherine Fireworks Complex – Zurrieq