Hunters will be gathering to the roof of the parish church in St Julians on the locality’s feast day on 31 August, to fire a salute in honour of the locality’s patron saint.

St Julian the Hospitaller is also the patron saint of hunters, as he is believed to have been an avid hunter.

His feast day is 12 February, but the locality’s festa is celebrated on the last Sunday of August. This year, the feast will be celebrated on 31 August – a day before the opening of the autumn hunting season.

For the past 30 years, hunters – primarily from St Julians and San Gwann, but hunters from all over the country are invited to participate – have been gathering to fire blanks to honour St Julian.

The event’s main sponsor is the hunters’ federation (FKNK), which confirmed that as had happened last year, the salute will be followed up by the release of a number of turtledoves which had been raised by FKNK members.

Hunters wishing to participate in the event are asked to be at the locality’s parish hall by 6:30pm. The blanks that will be fired will be supplied by the FKNK.