Thousands of locals and tourists are expected to gather in Mqabba tonight, the eve of the Santa Marija feast, to witness the annual fireworks display organised by the St Mary Fireworks Factory.
This year’s Fireworks Spectacular display consists of five parts: the first part, titled 'Pyro Thunder Extreme', is based on thousands of traditional Maltese beraq, which will be synchronised to music.
The steel structure that turns into the 'Tower of Light' during the fireworks display.The second part includes traditional Maltese beraq and multi-break coloured shells, while the third part features the ‘Tower of Light’, where thousands of fireworks are let off from a steel structure over 50 metres high.
The fourth part, the Grand Finale, consists of more fireworks synchronised to music, with the main attraction being a variety of large shells.
Then it’s the turn of ground fireworks (Catherine wheels), locally known as irdieden, where fire meets engineering to create unique colours and shapes.
In addition to the main display, traditional Maltese shells are being let off throughout the whole festa week, with fireworks at 8am, noon, 7.45 and at 9.30pm.
On the feast day tomorrow, there will be a daylight fireworks display from 7pm onwards, with coloured shells accompanying the solemn procession with the statue of Our Lady until 10pm.
The St Mary Fireworks of Mqabba has won multiple international competitions, including the first Malta International Fireworks Festival in 2006, the Caput Lucis World Championships in Rome in 2007 and the National Ground Fireworks Festival in 2010, among other recognitions.
The fireworks display this evening will commence at 9.30pm at Triq il-Konvoj ta’ Santa Marija (Mqabba bypass). Seating will be available along this road. Bookings can be made online here.
To reach Mqabba, visitors can take the airport route through the Kirkop tunnels, or use alternative routes via Ħal Farruġ Road and Siġġiewi.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/santamarija and www.facebook.com/stmaryfireworksmqabba.