The tiny Gozitan village of Nadur has become synonymous with Carnival thanks to its wild and wacky street celebrations. But most people in Malta don’t realise there’s another awesome spontaneous Carnival that doesn’t require a ferry ride. It’s organised in Ħal Għaxaq and it has been around for more than 100 years.

The Karnival Spontanju Għaxqi is one of the oldest carnival traditions in the country. This interview from all the way back in 1968 shows how far back the tradition goes, and how unchanged the roots of it are to this very day:

Now, a small community from the village has started uploading photos and videos from previous years via a Facebook page to raise more awareness and make sure that in the coming years, Ħal Għaxaq’s spontaneous carnival only gets bigger and better. And judging by the photos that have been cropping up, this is one spooky Carnival you don’t want to miss.

As per tradition, Għaxaq’s spontaneous carnival happens between Sunday and Tuesday, with people urged to create costumes whipped up from cardboard boxes, bedsheets, sacks and anything they can get their hands on. A competition is also held to crown the best and most original costumes of the year.

Tag someone who’s always very creative with their Carnival costumes!

READ NEXT: 8 Carnival Costume Ideas With A Maltese Twist

David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).