The Medieval Mdina festival has come a long way since the first time it was held, Mdina Mayor Peter Sant Manduca told The Malta Independent.

The 11th celebration of the festival will take place on the 4th and 5th of May and, for the first time, will be held in the Mdina ditch. This move, the Mayor said, will allow more space for activities than the interior of ‘the silent city’.

He described the changes seen since the first year of the event as ‘enormous’. As an example, he pointed out that there were no local re-enactment groups with a medieval theme based in Malta when the first event was held, with foreign re-enactment groups taking part. “But now there are around six,” he says.

Preparations ahead of this event are always very hectic, said Sant Manduca, explaining that the Council began working on this year’s celebration last October. “We need to organise everything, starting by attracting the re-enactment groups. We then have the commercial side of things, such as the stalls, of which we will have 35 selling food, filigree work, jewellery and more.  There will also be three main stages in the ditch itself as well, providing entertainment throughout the day.”

The event has grown over the years, resulting in the need for a larger space to accommodate it. “We were worrying that, at the rate the event was growing, we wouldn’t have had space for the groups and events inside Mdina, so we moved it to the ditch. This move has also made the setting up of the whole event easier. Things will no longer  have to be rushed through on the eve of the event to minimise the inconvenience to residents because we can begin preparations earlier in the week. In addition, the events can last longer into the evening, as they will not disturb the residents,” he said.

The environment created takes visitors back to the medieval period between 1200 and 1500 AD. The programme includes a number of pageants and the re-enactments of typical scenes, battles, traditions of the time and related events. Admission is open to the public at no charge.

The stages will feature medieval music which will also be played by foreign groups who will be coming to Malta.  Comedians will also be featured as will Sbandieratori e Musici. In the evening there will be a concert with a modernised take on medieval music.

A park-and-ride service will be available from Infetti Road.

Photos by George Abdilla