Malta cleans up after St Patrick’s Day street party

A massive clean-up operation has taken place following Malta’s biggest-ever St Patrick’s Day street party.

Huge crowds decked in green, waving shamrocks and the Irish tricolour packed the seafront in St Julian’s.

An estimated 30,000 people gathered around Spinola Bay to toast the patron saint of Ireland on Sunday.

Officials said more than 15 tonnes of waste – including plastic cups, beer cans and other rubbish – were collected following the celebrations.

Teams from the Clean Malta – Cleansing and Maintenance Division worked hard all night to get rid of the mess.

However, there are growing calls for Malta’s main St Patrick’s Day celebrations to be moved away from St Julian’s for safety reasons.

The deputy mayor of St Julian’s Albert Buttigieg called for the event to be moved from Spinola Bay to a more appropriate area, such as Ta’ Qali.

Writing on Facebook, he complained about the mess and loud music and many residents ‘could not leave their homes’.

He added: ‘It is time that this activity moves to a larger location.

‘It should go elsewhere for the health and safety of the crowd and because of the terrible noise.’

Some residents in St Julian’s agreed.

One took to social media to complain: ‘What dirt and filth. Poor St Patrick if only he knew!’

Another added: ‘Move it to a big field in the middle of nowhere. This is too much now.’

A third posted: ‘These sort of festivals happen everywhere. They are harmless and don’t inconvenience anyone because they are held in parks and areas away from residential areas.’

St Patrick’s Day events were also held in Valletta, Qawra and Bugibba.

Cover photo: Charan CK