The chairman of the Valletta Cultural Agency has slammed an 11-day tourism festival at the capital's entrance, describing it as "cheap" and a "ħamallata". 

Jason Micallef said the 'Festa Rocs' event by ROCS Group, one of Malta's largest travel agencies, was an "embarrassment" to the capital city. 

The festival is "cheap and literally ridicules a historical location which is the main entrance to the capital of our country, Valletta," he said.

"This organised obstruction and ħamallata literally covers the face of Triton Square", he said, using the Maltese word to describe uncultured activities.

Large white tents have appeared at the entrance to Valletta for Festa Rocs, which is described by the group as a "family fun event" that will take place until June 29. 

Micallef said he was shocked that permits had been granted for the fair that restricts access to Valletta, only allowing a small passage for anyone wanting to enter through the city's main gates.

"I will be speaking with the authorities and the government so that obscenities like this do not happen again in Valletta," he said. "There is no way an ambulance or even a police motorbike, can get through," he told Times of Malta. 

The tents surrounding the Tritons Fountain. Photo: Jonathan Borg

But Rachel Vella, ROCS director, said the group had obtained all the necessary permits for the event from the Valletta Local Council, Cleansing Department, Cultural Heritage, police and the Planning Authority.

She described her event as "a party to thank our clients" and said it had offered "financial support" to revamp the square and plant indigenous plants. 

"We are informed that following our offer, the respective department has taken action to issue tenders for the continuous upkeep of the pjazza," she said.

The spokesperson described Micallef's comments as "appalling" and "uncultured".

"How can one have a role of being chairman of the VCA and then be so uncultured in comportment, especially in how one communicates?

"Rather than attacking ROCS and insinuating a lot of things, Mr Micallef should have been prudent rather than impulsive and hence check facts.

"We will not be dragged into some ulterior agenda which we have absolutely nothing to do with," she said.

"We look forward to night 3 out of 11 and maintain the participation from the public we started off with."

She questioned why Micallef voiced his concerns now and not over similar activities "with more tents than we have".

"This seems to stem from some personal motive and we assure him that we will not let him or anyone for that matter drag us into such things."

Other events that were recently held in the same venue include political campaign nights for the European and local elections. 

On Wednesday, Vella uploaded a post on Facebook showing Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia Abela visiting the stand, together with world-renowned chef Salt Bae.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, conservation NGO Din l-Art Helwa said it was "dismayed" that permission had been granted for the ROCS event, which it said "devalues the historic context of the site and the entrance to our capital city".

The NGO called it the "latest example of how exploitation of a public space is spiralling out of control without any policy or guidelines - let alone respect for the site."

It said while the area had hosted regular events "which at least had a cultural and social aspect", the tourism festival had "crossed a line", turning the site into "brazen bazaar".