St Julian's Mayor Guido Dalli said that St Patrick's Day celebrations in the locality are a spontaneous event with no central organiser, making traffic disruptions unavoidable.
While thousands flock to St Julian's for the festivities, Dalli said that little can be done to ease congestion, as road closures are necessary for public safety.
Dalli added that the local council does not manage the event but takes measures to ensure order, including deploying ambulances, fire engines, and security personnel.
Dalli was speaking to The Malta Independent on Monday's celebrations in the Spinola and Paceville areas, and after the Sliema Local Council expressed its serious concerns regarding the significant traffic disruptions which affected the locality due to "uncoordinated diversions" for the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in St. Julian's.
The Sliema Local Council said that it had not been consulted by either the St Julian's Local Council or the St Julian's Police Station regarding the decision to divert large volumes of traffic through Sliema.
Responding, Dalli said that ever since St Patrick's Day evolved into a large-scale street party in the Spinola and Paceville areas, the St Julian's Local Council has never consulted with the Sliema Local Council about the event.
"Had the Sliema Local Council and the Mayor not made a fuss about it on Facebook, nobody would have noticed," Dalli said.
He acknowledged that traffic in the area increased but attributed the congestion to daily traffic issues and road closures in Sliema and Gzira due to ongoing works, which he said are "nothing new."
In fact, many roads in Sliema are currently closed due to ongoing works by Infrastructure Malta and Enemalta.
"When roads are closed, traffic will inevitably increase, but for St Patrick's, the roads have to be closed to avoid any accidents," he said.
Dalli maintained that the council had never encountered significant traffic issues in Sliema due to the festivities and had never consulted with the Sliema Local Council on the matter.
When asked whether St Julian's should coordinate with its Sliema counterpart, he responded, "One learns from experience, and when works are carried out, then we should."
Since previous years did not present such issues, Dalli said the Council did not feel the need to involve Sliema in discussions about St Patrick's Day. However, he left the door open for future consultation.
"If next year, the situation on the roads remains the same, then yes, why not? I have no problem with discussion," he said. "If there is a need, then the Council will do so."
Dalli also argued that the disruptions caused by the event were not intentional. "Had the Mayor of Sliema not taken it to Facebook, nobody would be speaking about it."
Some St Julian's residents also voiced concerns about the event, which Dalli described as a natural reaction to a large gathering where loud music is played.
Following the pandemic, Dalli said that St Patrick's Day has been celebrated on different days of the week -Friday, Sunday, or Monday - depending on the year.
To minimise disturbances, the council shortened the duration of music. "Before, the event started at noon or 2pm, but yesterday's festivities began at 4pm and ended exactly at 11pm," he said.
Despite these efforts, Dalli spoke of his dissatisfaction with the volume of music played by certain businesses during the event. He said he plans to meet with stakeholders to address his concerns.
St Patrick's Day: A spontaneous event
Dalli said that St Patrick's Day celebrations in St Julian's are spontaneous, meaning the council does not conduct a risk assessment or take out insurance.
"Because nobody is organising the event. As a council, we do what we do - provide ambulances, fire engines, and security to prevent disruptions to residents, out of respect for our residents and those who visit the locality," he said.
He added that while the council does not organise the event, it takes responsibility to ensure the area does not descend into chaos.
"If St Patrick's is such a famous event that attracts tourists to Malta, then why doesn't the government want to organise it? Nobody wants to organise it," he said.
At the same time, he said the idea of relocating the event seems unfeasible, arguing that it cannot be "removed" from St Julian's.
"Other localities, such as Floriana, organise an event, but attendance is very poor," Dalli said.
No easy fix for traffic issues
Asked whether better traffic management plans could be put in place, Dalli was sceptical.
"There is no way to do it. Solutions to traffic are limited. If, over time, the planned junction is built, then traffic might flow a bit better. During the festivities, only cars with a permit are allowed in to prevent accidents with vehicles driving through crowds," he said.
He pointed out that despite welcoming around 60,000 attendees each year, there have been no major incidents or accident reports.
This, he said, is due to the council's efforts in providing security, police, and LESA officers to maintain control.
"The festivities happened and were well under control," he said, adding that no permits were granted to outside kiosks, and only licensed restaurants in St Julian's were allowed to sell.
The roundabout area was occupied by NGOs, including football and feast clubs, which he noted benefited from the influx of people.
The Cleaning Division Department was deployed at midnight to clear the streets, another cost shouldered by the local council.
Dalli concluded by inviting anyone with a viable proposal to "remove" St Patrick's Day from St Julian's to come forward, reiterating that the event is spontaneous.
"Nobody invites these 60,000 people; they come on their own. We do what we do because we are responsible for the community and out of respect for residents and the people attending. We work very hard to reduce sound pollution, but when considering the volume of people, and the fact that by the next morning everything is cleared, I can assure you that is not an easy task," he said.
Cost breakdown for St Patrick's Day celebrations amounted to €26,390.45
The St Julian's Local Council has also published a detailed cost breakdown for this year's St Patrick's Day celebrations in St Julian's, with the total expenditure amounting to €26,390.45.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, the St Julian's Local Council said that in line with its commitment to transparency and public accountability, it would release a detailed cost breakdown of the event this year.
The total expenditure amounted to €26,390.45, partially offset by €15,100 in permit fees, leaving a remaining balance of €11,290.45.
It said that the remaining balance was covered by the Malta Tourism Authority under the Ministry of Tourism.
The Council collected permit fees, which were €500 from licensed premises in St Julian's such as bars and restaurants, and €100 from NGOs.
The Council provided an itemised summary of the principal costs. €973.50 went to two ambulance services and a motorbike, and a further €973.50 went to fire engine services (a truck and a quadbike).
Furthermore, €1,500 was spent on mobile toilets with cleaning, and €9,605 towards LESA wardens for the event.
€7,181.93 was spent on police services, whilst €6,152.52 was spent on cleansing and maintenance of the area. €4 went to bank charges, while 75 units of bins were provided by the Region free of charge.
The St Julian's Local Council incurred zero of the costs, as the remaining balance was covered by the MTA.
"As previously clarified, the St Julian's Local Council did not organise the event itself. Rather, our role was to coordinate and mitigate the impact on residents by overseeing permits, regulating the number of bars and stalls, and ensuring public safety measures were in place," the Council said on Facebook.
It said that the above costs reflect the essential services and logistical requirements necessary to uphold safety standards and maintain order throughout the festivities.
"We remain committed to working alongside residents, authorities, and local businesses to ensure that community events are responsibly managed," the Council said.