Malta’s September 29 Shake-Up: Green Roofs, Gozo Ferries & Genome Cures Unveiled on Petard Day

Feast, Fireworks & Future-Proofing: What September 29, 2025 Has in Store for Malta

Valletta’s Grand Harbour woke up to a double bang this morning: the crackle of Petard Day fireworks heralding the city’s patron saint, and the quieter pop of a government press-release embargo lifting at 07:00 sharp. While devotees hurried to the 06:30 Mass at St Dominic’s to honour the “Festa tal-Petard”, ministers were already tweeting a raft of national announcements timed to ride the patriotic wave. The result is a day that feels quintessentially Maltese—where baroque tradition meets board-room policy, and where every rocket over the ramparts is matched by a policy rocket launched from Castille.

First out of the cannons was the long-flagged “Green Roofs Grant”, a €6 million fund that will refund 50 % of the cost of installing soil-covered, pollinator-friendly roofs on homes and businesses. Applications open at noon on—when else?—the eve of the Nadur Strawberry Festival, a wink to farmers who have complained that urban sprawl is swallowing prime agricultural land. Environment Minister Miriam Dalli told HOT PRESS the scheme is “our balcony garden revolution”, predicting 50 000 m² of new greenery by 2027, enough to offset 1 200 tonnes of CO₂—roughly the annual exhaust of 260 Maltese cars. In a country where air-quality sensors regularly flash amber, the announcement landed like a cool sea breeze.

Next up, Transport Malta confirmed that the Gozo fast-ferry pilot, launched last summer, will become a permanent fixture. From October 6, two extra vessels—both flying the Maltese flag and crewed by 32 new local hires—will shuttle between Mġarr and Valletta every 45 minutes. The €4 subsidy for Gozitan residents stays, but tourists will pay the full €8 fare, a move hailed by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri as “a fair balance between accessibility and sustainability”. Gozitan commuters interviewed outside the Mġarr terminal spoke of reclaimed evenings—“I can now pick my kids up from football practice in Xewkija and still make a 7 p.m. dinner in Sliema,” said accountant Rebecca Cassar—while hoteliers hope the extended schedule will nudge city-break visitors to add a spontaneous Gozo night to their itinerary.

Culture got its moment too. Heritage Malta unveiled a €1.3 million restoration of the 17th-century windmills in Żejtun and Żurrieq, complete with VR sails that spin when you wave your phone. The project, co-funded by EU cohesion money, will open both sites as “living labs” where students can grind grain using augmented-reality millstones. Parliamentary Secretary for Culture Rebecca Buttigieg called it “a bridge between our stone past and our digital future”, though one Żejtun nonagenarian grumbled that “you can’t taste bread made of pixels”. Still, the mills are expected to draw 40 000 extra visitors annually, injecting an estimated €800 k into the rural economy through guided tours and pop-up bakeries.

Perhaps the most emotive announcement came from the Malta Community Chest Fund. President Myriam Spiteri Debono revealed that the 2025 telethon, bolstered by a record €2.4 million in SMS donations, will fund a full genome-sequencing programme for children with rare diseases—making Malta the smallest country to offer such a service free at the point of use. The first 50 patients will be processed at Mater Dei by Christmas, with data stored on a secure blockchain platform developed by University of Malta students. “No Maltese parent should have to raffle their house to save their child,” the President said, voice cracking during the live broadcast that cut into the festa march on TVM.

Back in the streets, the timing was not lost on revellers. By 19:00, as the statue of St Dominic emerged from the church to the brass-band strains of “Marċ tal-Bombi”, fireworks painted the sky gold—echoing the government’s promise of a “greener, better connected, healthier Malta”. Tourists filming the spectacle on their phones inadvertently captured drones projecting the hashtag #Malta2030 in mid-air, a cheeky nod to the national strategy also refreshed today. By the time the last petard fizzled out over the harbour, Malta had, in typical style, folded an entire policy programme into one exuberant feast day.

Conclusion: September 29 has always belonged to Valletta’s patron, but 2025 will be remembered as the year the feast fused with future-proofing. From rooftop gardens to genome labs, the announcements delivered more than headlines—they offered a roadmap that respects tradition while courting tomorrow. And if the applause echoing from Strait Street to Gozo’s quays is any gauge, Maltese citizens are ready to walk that road, fireworks overhead and all.