The ‘Malta International Food Festival’ is a free street food festival and was launched in 2015. It focusses on hosting a variety of culinary delights from around the world. It began with 25 exhibitors/caterers and attracted over 5000 visitors. Fast forward to the time we visited in 2019 in Mdina, it drew 80 exhibitors/caterers and brought approximately 38,000 visitors! We were two of those visitors and we loved it!
Where to visit the ‘Malta International Food Festival’?
2019 was the last year the food festival took place due to the impacts of Covid. 2022 is expected to be bigger and better than any previous year. There are expected to be over 45,000 visitors in Malta and Gozo. After 5 years of consistent growth in exhibitors and visitors, the organisers have decided to relocate the festival to Tritoni Square in Valletta, the Capital of Malta! Keep these dates locked in your itinerary if you’re visiting Malta this summer 13th – 17th July 2022! Keep in mind that the Gozo (island north of Malta) edition will be on the 5th and 6th August.
Let’s talk food!
Firstly, you’ll be able to taste the local delicacies such as the Pastizzi which is a must. Don’t worry, you won’t be confined to eating just Maltese food. Taste the best of Europe, authentic Asian cuisines, natural Mediterranean classics and more of the worlds finest. If you’ve got a sweeter taste bud then dessert lovers will be in heaven. Ice creams, sweets, waffles and chocolate are all on the stands, most made fresh to go! We had this absolutely stunning waffle on a stick drowned in Kinder Bueno sauce and honestly it makes us salivate just thinking about it.
You will also be able to try an array of drinks with special wines and brewery stands available throughout the festival.
Entertainment
If the food and drink still isn’t enough for you how about live music from local talent/musicians giving you renditions of classics or new music. This was certainly the icing on the cake for us, especially as more and more beer was consumed…
How much should you expect to pay?
The entrance to the festival is free of charge! In order to purchase any food or drink we were told we had to purchase tokens and redeem at the specific stall. This was the only thing that felt slightly strange to us as there was no such thing as ‘change’. Not going to lie, it can get expensive so just be warned! Then again it is the island’s most anticipated gourmet event, featuring cuisine from all around the world.
Ps. We apologise for the terrible photos! This was before the days of Travelling Translated when we could actually enjoy holidays without the stress of photography and video! We have improved we promise! Check out our Sri Lanka archives and let us know what you think of our travel photography now.
Written by Travelling Translated in March 2022
