Great Siege of Malta to be commemorated in Xagħra

The cobbled alleys of Xagħra will echo with drums and musket fire this weekend as the village stages its most ambitious historical re-enactment yet, bringing the epic 1565 Great Siege of Malta to life against the honey-coloured backdrop of Gozo’s oldest parish square. From Friday evening until Sunday dusk, the community of barely 5,000 residents will swell to ten times its size, welcoming visitors, history buffs, and curious holidaymakers for a spectacle that organisers promise will be “bigger than Carnival and more moving than fireworks”.

At the heart of the programme is a 45-minute open-air performance that compresses the 112-day Ottoman siege into a visceral journey from initial landings to the final, desperate assault on Fort St Elmo. Professional actors from Valletta’s Teatru Malta will share the stage with 120 local volunteers—farmers, bakers, scout leaders and schoolchildren—who have spent months rehearsing lines in archaic Maltese and mastering 16th-century sword drills. Pyrotechnicians from the village’s own Santa Cecilia fireworks club have built a scaled replica of the Grand Harbour, complete with floating galleys that will “burn” in real time on the village football pitch turned artificial lake.

Xagħra’s choice to host the commemoration is no accident. While the actual fighting raged across the harbour in Birgu and Senglea, Gozo served as the Knights’ granary and refuge. “Our forefathers fed the besieged, ferried grain at night, and buried the wounded,” explains Marija Spiteri, president of the Xagħra Historical Society and great-grandniece of a 19th-century village chronicler. “Yet Gozo’s role is often footnoted. This weekend we reclaim that narrative.” The society has curated a pop-up museum inside the 18th-century windmill Ta’ Kola, showcasing original wheat ledgers, rusted pike heads discovered in nearby fields, and a newly restored oil painting depicting the Madonna watching over the islands—an icon credited by locals for miraculous interventions during the siege.

Tourism officials are watching closely. After a record-breaking winter season, Gozo’s hotels are already at 92 % occupancy for the weekend, with boutique farmhouses in Xagħra and neighbouring Nadur commanding triple their off-season rates. “Heritage sells,” notes Karl Vella, manager of the Calypso Hotel. “But heritage told by the people who live above its very foundations? That’s priceless.” Restaurants have created themed menus—pigeon pie “alla Valette”, honey-soaked “Turk’s head” pastries—while craft brewers in Għasri have released a limited-edition Great Siege IPA infused with carob and prickly pear, ingredients said to have sustained defenders when supplies ran low.

The cultural ripple effects reach far beyond commerce. Primary school teacher Rita Camilleri has woven the siege into her curriculum since January, culminating in her pupils constructing cardboard bastions now displayed along Triq il-Knisja. “Children who once groaned about history now argue over whether La Valette was too harsh or simply pragmatic,” she laughs. Meanwhile, the village band club has rearranged its annual concert to include a newly composed “Marcia Grande” that fuses traditional żaqq bagpipes with Ottoman percussion, symbolising dialogue rather than conflict.

Security will be tight—roads will close, drones banned, and a detachment of Armed Forces personnel will patrol discreetly—but the mood is jubilant rather than martial. “We’re celebrating resilience, not war,” insists mayor Christian Zammit. “The siege shaped our identity: multilingual, stubborn, fiercely protective of our islands yet open to the world.” As dusk falls on Sunday, the re-enactment will end not with triumphalist cannonade but with the lighting of 500 biodegradable lanterns launched from Ramla Bay, each bearing a handwritten wish for peace.

Tickets for the seated grandstand sold out within 36 hours, but giant screens will beam the action to overflow crowds in the main square. Locals are encouraged to dress in period costume; costume-rental shops in Victoria report their doublets and fezzes already reserved weeks in advance. For those unable to attend, TVM will broadcast live, while a dedicated Facebook page streams behind-the-scenes snippets in Maltese sign language.

By Monday morning Xagħra will return to its sleepy rhythm, but something will have shifted. “We’ve reminded ourselves—and shown the world—that the Great Siege isn’t dusty parchment,” Spiteri reflects, adjusting her hand-stitched Hospitaller cape. “It beats in every limestone wall, every festa, every stubborn refusal to give ground. We are the heirs of that story.”