Żejtun Accordion Army Conquers Netherlands: How Malta’s Squeezebox Revival Won Dutch Hearts

Żejtun’s squeezebox heroes have done it again. Sixteen accordionists from the village’s renowned Stella Maris Band Club have swapped the limestone alleys of their hometown for the canal-lined streets of the Netherlands, turning heads—and ears—during a four-day tour that ended on Sunday night. From a rousing set in Amsterdam’s Dam Square to a candle-lit concert inside Utrecht’s 14th-century Domkerk, the Maltese musicians delivered a masterclass in Mediterranean verve that left Dutch audiences clamouring for encores and asking one question: “Where on earth is Malta?”

For the players—whose day jobs range from bus driver to biology teacher—the trip was more than a holiday with instruments. “We packed 150 years of village history into every song,” said band director Clifford Debono, clutching his vintage Hohner that once belonged to his grandfather. “When we played the żifna ‘Il-Merill’, I saw grown Dutch men wiping their eyes. They didn’t understand the lyrics, but they felt the pulse of our island.”

The tour, funded by a €20,000 grant from Arts Council Malta and topped up with €8,000 raised during the annual Żejtun wine festival, is the latest chapter in a remarkable revival. Thirty years ago the accordion was fading from Maltese festas, replaced by electronic keyboards. Today, thanks to grassroots clubs like Stella Maris, the instrument is enjoying a renaissance: enrolment at the village music school has jumped 40 % since 2019, and waiting lists now stretch into 2026.

Malta’s ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Marlene Mizzi, flew in from The Hague for the Utrecht gig. “This is cultural diplomacy at its purest,” she told Hot Malta. “No PowerPoint presentation can match the impact of sixteen accordions belting out ‘Għanja Ħaljin’ under Gothic vaults.” Mizzi revealed that the Dutch national broadcaster NTR has already inquired about filming a documentary on Maltese traditional music, potentially shining a screen-worthy spotlight on the island’s intangible heritage.

Back home, the tour is being celebrated as a victory for community cohesion. Żejtun mayor Doris Abela said local bars reported record Sunday-afternoon receipts as residents gathered to watch a livestream of the Amsterdam performance. “Parents who never set foot inside the band club are now signing up their kids for lessons,” Abela noted. “One grandmother told me she finally understands why her grandson spends every Friday night rehearsing—she saw him on a foreign stage and burst with pride.”

The economic ripple effects are already visible. Dutch travel agent Peter van der Lans, who caught the concert in Haarlem, has added a four-day “Malta Accordion & Festa” package to his 2025 catalogue, promising travellers private workshops with village bands and front-row seats at the August 15 Santa Marija feast in Żejtun. Initial bookings, priced at €890 per person, are 70 % full.

Yet the tour’s most poignant moment came offstage. After the final chord in Utrecht, the Maltese musicians formed a tight circle and played the traditional farewell tune ‘Il-Ħabba ta’ Santa Luċija’. Dutch spectators responded by humming the Dutch lullaby ‘Slaap kindje slaap’. “Two islands, two songs, one shared heartbeat,” said accordionist and Żejtun primary-school teacher Ramona Pace. “My students keep asking if Europe is far away. Now I can tell them it’s only eight beats away.”

As the band’s coach rolled back into the village at dawn on Monday, villagers lined the main square, waving Maltese flags and blasting recorded accordion tracks from balcony speakers. The Stella Maris Band Club has already accepted invitations to Belgium and Poland next summer. If their Dutch adventure proves anything, it’s that Malta’s smallest instrument is now its mightiest cultural passport.