Earth Garden, Malta’s biggest non-mainstream festival, came to an end yesterday after three days that saw Ta’ Qali National Park transformed into a sea of colour, music and tents.

About 20,000 people attended this year’s festival, now in its 10th edition, many camping at the park over the weekend while others dropped by for the music and other activities.

With a 22-metre wide Roots stage – twice the size of last year’s – a mix of local musical talent and international artists was offered.

Home-grown favourites Brikkuni, Tribali and Etnika lined up alongside Neville Staple, bringing with him a hugely successful 35-year career in the ska scene, and Nicky Bomba, performing with a 12-piece Ska orchestra.

Meanwhile, those looking for a more relaxed time had the opportunity to chill out at the festival’s Jamming Area, buy handcrafts at the Ethnic Market, get creative in the Art Square and entertain their children at the kid’s area, or find spiritual sustenance at the various workshops and healing area events. This year too, the festival’s green credentials were very prominent. Last year’s Earth Garden saved almost 4,000 kilos of waste and organisers aimed to go beyond that target this year, with initiatives aimed at encouraging festival-goers to reduce and recycle the waste they generated. Among other initiatives, visitors were encouraged to use a single cup for the weekend to cut down on the use of disposables and all food vendors used compostable packaging.