Mgarr residents speaking to this newspaper yesterday have taken great exception to the holding of yet another edition of the locality’s annual Festa Frawli, saying that the general feeling among residents is that the “event is being organised for a select few at the expense of the vast majority of villagers”.

“We've been accustomed to being under siege for more than a decade now, with the choices being either to leave Mgarr very early in the morning for the entire day, or stay inside and maybe drop in for an hour or two at this 'festa',” one resident said.

“Residents have been pleading with the local council for basic services, such as more frequent garbage collection, to no avail. Yet, it seems that no expense is spared for Festa Frawli, with billboards, television adverts on all local channels and adverts on newspapers and major websites. 

“But when it comes to providing services for Mgarr residents, penny pinching is the order of the day.”

One resident even accused the organisers of “relentlessly” censoring comments about today’s forecast of rain on their “much advertised” Facebook page. “All comments mentioning rain (which is forecast throughout the event) are unceremoniously deleted, leaving many potential attendees in the dark as to whether the event is going to be held or not,” a resident said.

He added, “The same goes for Mgarr residents, who do not know if they will have to leave or barricade themselves inside as per usual. Even those lucky enough to own a garage don't fare better, as visitors unscrupulously block them.”