Updated 5.40 pm
Rain and strong winds are forecast to lash Malta from this weekend but carnival organisers are optimistic it will not disrupt Valletta's five-day festivities.
The Meteorological Office is predicting strong winds to start on Saturday, with thundery showers on Sunday and isolated showers until Tuesday.
But Valletta Carnival's artistic director, Jason Busuttil, is not too worried.
"A few trickles of rain are normal in February, and the floats can handle that. We are not expecting a storm, so everything should be okay," he said.
Preparations have continued as usual, and some floats have already been wheeled to Valletta in preparation for the first day of carnival, he said.
Because of the strong winds, the floats will not be parked at the Floriana Granaries as usual but will be kept at a different location when not in use, Busuttil said.
"We are discussing where to store them this morning," he said on Friday.
Floats to shelter in St James' ditch as buses move to Floriana
In a statement on Friday, Malta Public Transport said it would be temporarily relocating two of its bays so that carnival floats can shelter in St James' ditch, which is well protected from the wind.
Terminus Zones B and C will be relocated to St Publius Street and Sarria Street, on opposite sides of the Granaries, in Floriana.
The changes will impact routes to Ċirkewwa, Buġibba, Naxxar, San Ġwann and B’kara from Bay B and those to Rabat, Dingli, Mtarfa, Attard, Qormi, Mrieħel, Żebbuġ, Siġġiewi in Bay C.
Routes that depart and alight from Bay A, namely toward Mater Dei, St Julian’s, Sliema and the south will not be impacted.
In 2019, a severe storm damaged several carnival floats sheltered in two huge temporary tents in Marsa.
Busuttil said several floats this year are based on real-life people instead of fictional characters "One float is about X-Factor, for example," he added.
A record number of companies will also be participating in competitive dance shows this year, he said.
The Valletta festivities are the country's main carnival events.
They will kick off on Friday evening, with King Carnival leading a parade down Republic Street in Valletta to St George's Square at 6pm.
The competitive dance shows will continue with an afternoon programme on Saturday starting at 4pm and a morning programme on Sunday starting at 10am.
Another parade will take to the streets of Valletta on Monday morning lasting through the evening and culminating in a grand finale on Tuesday along St Anne's Street in Floriana.