Big crowds, small harvest at Mġarr’s strawberry festival

Large crowds of locals and foreigners alike flocked to Mġarr on a windy Sunday to enjoy the village’s annual strawberry festival, Festa Frawli.  

The parish square and surrounding streets started to fill up as early as 10am, with attendees eager to try the wide range of strawberry-based products on offer.

Festival attendees were treated to established favourites such as cakes and ice cream, through to more unusual offerings, including strawberry pizza, and porchetta and strawberry sandwiches.

Several of the village’s bars also offered strawberry sangria. 

Farmers typically sell hundreds of kilos of strawberries during Festa Frawli. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Many were eager to get their hands on punnets of strawberries. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Some festival-goers went the extra mile to get into the festival spirit, donning red and strawberry-patterned clothes, while pictures of strawberries and related products hand-drawn by schoolchildren were displayed around the town.

Bunting and gazebos adorned the parish square, which was doing a roaring trade as local businesses and stalls set up specially for the event served long lines of enthusiastic patrons.

Yet, while there were plenty of food and drink stalls, those who wished to pick up a punnet of strawberries were limited to only a handful of sellers.

Some of the many strawberry-based sweets on offer

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Ċensu Camilleri, a full-time farmer and president of Mġarr’s farmer cooperative, said a pest that had ravaged last year’s strawberry harvest had once again had an impact on this year’s supply.  

“I think it cut production by a third. The weather also played a part,” he said, although Storm Harry’s impact was not significant, since the plants were covered at the time.  

Camilleri said that, during the best harvests, around 12 tonnes of strawberries were sold during the festival.

Festa Frawli has been a mainstay on the cultural calendar since 2007. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Some festival attendees went the extra mile. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

As has been the case for the past few years, as the festival has grown in popularity, this year's Festa Frawli led to heavy traffic on the roads leading Mġarr.

Popular traffic-focused Facebook page 'Maltese Roads Traffic Updates' said that as of around 1.45pm, surrounding roads were "Completely stuck", while advising motorists to avoid the area if possible.

The annual strawberry festival dates back to 2007, as a way of showcasing Mġarr's agricultural heritage, which has traditionally included significant production of the popular fruit.

Pictures of strawberries hand-drawn by schoolchildren lined the streets. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

While early editions of the festival presented a distinctly traditional flavour, featuring folk music artists, recent years have seen the aesthetic of the festival become more modern in line with its growing popularity and number of attendees.

This year's festivities also included live painting workshops, DJs and live bands.

As in previous years, the town saw road diversions and a direct shuttle bus from Valletta.