Although COVID-19 restrictions will be removed as from July 1, villages feasts will this year be limited to Mass and a pilgrimage.

No other activities inside or outside of the church, including on the days leading to the feast day, will be allowed. 

Malta's public health emergency warning will expire on June 30, meaning that controls on social gatherings, the opening of schools or the law courts and suspensions of legal times will be no longer be in force as of July 1.

However, Health Minister Chris Fearne has said that despite the lifted restrictions, feasts and other mass events such as weddings are "not recommended".

The ban on large gatherings, imposed by the Superintendent of Public Health in March to curb the pandemic, had forced the Church authorities to cancel village feasts.

The bishops of Malta and Gozo had said that if the health authorities lifted their ban on large gatherings, for this year only, feast celebrations will be composed of a thanksgiving pilgrimage with the statue of the village saint on the Sunday or actual feast day.

On Friday a Curia spokesperson confirmed that these same bishops directives will come into force as from July 1. 

"Solemn Mass and a procession in the form of a pilgrimage will be allowed to celebrate the Titular and Secondary feasts in our parishes," he said. 

In May the Home Affairs Ministry said it was issuing limited permits for fireworks on days when village feasts were due, and the day before.

This was being done for safety reasons, because some fireworks had already been manufactured before the pandemic spread to Malta, the ministry had said.