Understanding Maltese Holidays: Festa Season and Business Hours for International Entrepreneurs

Picture this: Youre planning your first business year in Malta, expecting the standard European holidays—when suddenly, the entire village shuts down for three days because its the patron saints name day. Welcome to the Maltese holiday reality! After two years here, I can tell you: If you dont understand Maltese public holidays and the famous Festa season, your business plans may fall flat.

This article will explain not just the official holidays, but also the unwritten rules that shape your professional life in Malta. From bank closures to unexpected village festivals—here youll find everything international entrepreneurs need to know.

Malta Public Holidays 2025: The Complete Guide for International Entrepreneurs

Malta has 14 official public holidays per year—significantly more than Germany with its 9-13 (depending on the federal state). That may sound relaxing, but can turn into a nightmare if youre not prepared. Ive seen foreign business partners helplessly standing in front of locked banks simply because they hadnt heard of the Feast of St. Pauls Shipwreck.

Overview of the Official Holidays in 2025

What Do the Different Categories Mean?

Everything closed truly means everything: supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, even many hotels reduce their services. Only absolute essentials operate on these days.

Banks, government offices closed means the private sector mostly continues as normal, but all state institutions and financial services providers are shut. Restaurants and shops are often open—but may have reduced hours.

The Unique Nature of Maltese Public Holidays

What surprised me at first: Many holidays are deeply rooted in Maltese history and religion. Sette Giugno (7 June) commemorates the 1919 uprisings; Jum il-Vitorja (8 September) celebrates the victory over the Ottomans in 1565. As an international entrepreneur, you dont need to memorize each date—but you should know and respect them.

Here’s a practical tip from my own experience: Download the official Malta Holiday Calendar as a PDF and share it with your international team. Nothing is more awkward than scheduling an important call while your Maltese partners are at a family gathering.

Understanding the Festa Season: When Entire Villages Celebrate and Businesses Close Down

Now it gets complicated: In addition to state holidays, there’s the Festa season from April to October. These are local village and church festivals which, while not official public holidays, can practically bring your business to a standstill. Let me explain why.

What Is a Maltese Festa?

A Festa is a religious village festival in honor of the local patron saint. Sounds harmless? Think again! These festivals usually last three to four days and turn entire neighborhoods into party zones—with fireworks, processions, and closed roads. Picture your office in Żejtun during Festa ta’ Santa Katarina—you simply cant drive there for three days.

The Most Important Festa Dates 2025

Why Festas Affect Your Business

The problem isnt just the noise (although fireworks at 6am take getting used to). Many of your Maltese staff will spontaneously take time off to celebrate with family and friends. Thats completely normal and accepted—but as an employer, you need to expect it.

What’s especially tricky: Festa dates are often only announced at short notice. I now always plan a buffer if any important deadlines fall in festa season.

Festa Etiquette for International Entrepreneurs

• Respect the tradition: Don’t complain about noise or roadblocks—it’s part of the culture
• Be flexible: Don’t schedule important meetings during festa weeks
• Seize the occasion: Festa visits are perfect networking opportunities
• Get local insights: Ask Maltese colleagues about the major festas in your area
• Prepare your team: International staff should know what to expect

Insider tip: If you really want to understand Malta, you must attend at least one festa. The community spirit and tradition are amazing—and you’ll quickly understand why, sometimes, business just has to wait.

Business Hours on Maltese Holidays: What You Need to Know

The biggest surprise for international entrepreneurs: Not all sectors treat holidays the same. While banks strictly observe days off, restaurants and retailers improvise depending on preference and business demand. Here’s what it really looks like.

Banks and Financial Services on Holidays

Maltese banks take holidays seriously. On all 14 state holidays, all branches are closed—no exceptions. This means: no transfers, no accounts payable, no appointments. Online banking works, but transfers are only processed on the next business day.

The real pain point: If a holiday falls on a Friday, you’re looking at an extended weekend without banking. For international business, this can cause serious liquidity issues.

My worst-case scenario: Once, I had to urgently make a payment to a German supplier. The holiday was on a Thursday, Friday ended up being a bridge day with reduced services. Result: Four days without any banking. Since then, I always plan extra cash-flow days just in case.

Authorities and Public Services

All state agencies—from the Identity Malta Agency to the Malta Business Registry—are closed on holidays. This includes:

• Immigration (residence permits, visa extensions)
• Tax authorities (VAT filings, tax declarations)
• Court system (all proceedings suspended)
• Local councils (building permits, local licenses)
• Post offices (Malta Post completely closed)

This can be a nightmare for time-sensitive applications. If your work visa is about to expire and three holidays come up in between, it gets stressful fast.

Retail and Hospitality: Total Chaos

This is where it gets tricky: There are no uniform rules. Every business owner decides for themselves if and how long to open on holidays. After two years, I’ve noticed the following patterns:

Major holidays are: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, May 1st, August 15th, Christmas
Minor holidays are all other state holidays

Transport and Logistics

The public transport system, Malta Public Transport, operates on a Sunday timetable on holidays—meaning fewer buses, longer waits, earlier last departures. For business appointments, this can wreak havoc.

Even worse: International courier services. DHL, FedEx, and UPS shut down on Maltese holidays even when the rest of the EU is working as normal. I’ve had important documents stuck in Valletta for three days because of a local holiday.

Emergency Services and What Actually Works

Here’s what you can count on during holidays:

• Hospitals and emergency rooms (Mater Dei Hospital)
• Police and fire department
• Petrol stations (automatic pumps)
• Malta airport (international operations)
• Some hotels (reduced service)
• Internet and telecommunications

Here’s what often doesn’t work, even if you’d expect it to:

• Pharmacies (only on-call rotation)
• Car repair shops and service centers
• Laundries and cleaning services
• Hairdressers and beauty services
• Stationery and office supply stores

Malta Holiday Calendar: Planning Your Business Year

Doing business successfully in Malta requires strategic holiday planning. Here’s how I use the Malta Holiday Calendar for company planning and which months are especially challenging.

Critical Months for International Business

February to March: Three holidays in six weeks (St Pauls Shipwreck, St Joseph’s Day, Freedom Day). Carnival also often falls in this window—not an official holiday, but expect most people to take time off anyway.

April to May: Good Friday and Labour Day coincide with the start of festa season. Many Maltese businesses don’t launch major projects during this period.

August: The nightmare month for international business. Assumption Day (15 August) plus vacation season = Malta is basically in standby mode. Add multiple festas.

September: Two holidays in two weeks (8 and 21 September). Many use this time to extend their summer breaks.

December: Three holidays, plus Christmas leave. Between December 8 and January 2, not a lot gets done.

Strategic Planning for International Entrepreneurs

After two years in Malta business, here are the strategies that work for me:

Quarter 1 (January–March): Setup Phase

• Use January for annual planning (few disruptions)
• Schedule important government appointments before February 10
• Kick off new projects before festa season starts
• Ensure cash-flow covers February/March holidays

Quarter 2 (April–June): Festa Mode

• Plan projects flexibly (festas can disrupt timings)
• Inform local partners early about international deadlines
• Use festa season for networking events
• Don’t set critical deadlines in this period

Quarter 3 (July–September): Summer Survival

• Treat August as a “dead month”
• Make key decisions before August 15
• Plan for September holidays when preparing quarterly closings
• Be generous with staff vacation planning

Quarter 4 (October–December): Year-End Sprint

• Use October/November for major projects (fewer holidays)
• Bring December deadlines forward into November
• Finish year-end closing before December holidays
• Prep New Year’s projects already in December

Tools and Resources for Your Planning

These online resources are essential for my planning:

• Official Malta Holiday Calendar: gov.mt publishes the current calendar every year
• Festa Calendar: visitMalta.com offers a comprehensive festa overview
• Business Calendar Apps: Sync Malta public holidays to Outlook/Google Calendar
• Banking apps: Maltese banks display closing days in their apps
• Local networks: LinkedIn groups for Malta business updates

Integrating Public Holidays into International Business Processes

How to integrate the Malta Holiday Calendar into your global setup:

1. Sync team calendars: Mark all Maltese holidays in company-wide calendars
2. Supplier management: Keep Maltese suppliers informed about international deadlines
3. Client communication: Educate international clients about Maltese holidays
4. Cash-flow planning: Factor banking blackouts into liquidity planning
5. Project timelines: Add buffer days for festa season and holiday periods

Pro tip: Create a “Malta Business Calendar” as a shared Google Calendar with all holidays, key festas, and critical banking blackout days. Share it with your international team and business partners.

Practical Tips: How to Survive the Maltese Holiday Reality

After countless missed appointments, closed banks, and surprise festas, I’ve developed a system that works. Here are my tried-and-tested survival strategies for international entrepreneurs:

Managing Cash Flow on Holidays

Banking blackouts can cripple your business. Here’s how I plan now:

• 3-Day Rule: Execute critical payments three working days before a holiday
• Cash reserve: Keep at least two weeks’ operating expenses in cash
• Multi-banking: Accounts at multiple banks (Maltese and international)
• Leverage credit lines: Secure overdraft agreements as an emergency buffer
• Digital payments: Have Revolut, Wise & Co. as a backup for urgent cases

Very important: Payroll planning. Transfer salaries before holidays, or your team will have to wait until the next business day. This is a guaranteed morale killer.

Communicating with International Partners

German clients don’t understand why Malta shuts down on February 10 (St Paul’s Shipwreck). I always communicate proactively:

My email template:
Hi [Name],
Malta will be observing a national holiday on [date] ([holiday in English]). All banks and government offices will be closed. Our office will operate as usual, but transfers/appointments will only be processed from [next working day].
Is there anything you need us to process beforehand?
Best regards

Managing Staff During Festa Season

Maltese employees often take spontaneous time off for local festas. This is culturally accepted, but can be a challenge for planning:

• Develop a festa policy: Clear rules for applying for special leave
• Tap into local expertise: Maltese colleagues know the key festa dates
• Flexible work hours: Remote work or flexitime during festa weeks
• Plan team events: Group festa outings as team-building
• Backup plans: Spread critical work among team members

Emergency Strategies for Different Scenarios

Scenario 1: Urgent government appointment during a holiday

Solution: Appointments at Identity Malta or Jobsplus can be booked online. Emergency services operate on holidays, but only for real emergencies.

Scenario 2: International delivery is stuck

Solution: Use express services that operate even during Maltese holidays.

Scenario 3: Banking emergency (urgent transfer needed)

Solution: Online and telephone banking for emergencies. Transfers are still processed on the next working day.

Scenario 4: Businesses closed but client event planned

Solution: Hotels and tourist restaurants are often open. Catering services usually have emergency capacity.

The Ultimate Holiday Checklist

This is my go-to checklist before every Maltese holiday:

1. Banking checked: Have all critical payments been made?
2. Team informed: Does everyone know about the holiday?
3. Clients notified: Have international partners been advised of restrictions?
4. Emergency contacts ready: 24/7 services and emergency numbers on hand?
5. Meetings rearranged: Are key appointments moved to other days?
6. Supplies sorted: Enough office material, coffee, etc. for the break?
7. IT backup: Are servers and critical systems on autopilot?
8. Festa check: Any local festas coming up that could cause extra disruption?

Long-Term Adjustments for Business in Malta

After two years, I’ve fundamentally changed my business processes:

• Plan project phases around holidays: Never set major deadlines in holiday-heavy weeks
• International diversification: Have critical services available outside Malta, too
• Local integration: Use festa visits and cultural events for business opportunities
• Flexible contracts: Add “Malta Holiday Clause” into SLAs for international clients
• Redundant systems: Prepare backup solutions for every business-critical process

My verdict after two years: Maltese holidays are a shock at first, but they force you to plan better and stay flexible. In the long run, it actually makes your business more resilient—even to other unforeseen disruptions.

Frequently Asked Questions about Maltese Holidays

How many holidays does Malta have each year?

Malta has 14 official public holidays annually. Thats significantly more than Germany (9-13 depending on the state) or most other EU countries. On top of that, there are local festas which, while not official days off, still impact business operations.

Are Maltese banks closed on all public holidays?

Yes, all Maltese banks (Bank of Valletta, HSBC Malta, APS Bank, etc.) are completely closed on all 14 state holidays. Online banking works, but transfers are only processed on the next business day. This also applies to international payments.

What’s the difference between public holidays and festas?

Public holidays are official days off throughout Malta. Festas are local religious village festivals celebrating patron saints. Theyre not official holidays, but can impact your business via road closures, noise, and staff taking time off at short notice.

Are supermarkets and restaurants open on Maltese holidays?

It depends on the holiday. On “major” holidays (New Years, Good Friday, May 1st, August 15th, Christmas) almost everything is closed. On other holidays, many restaurants and supermarkets have reduced opening hours. Petrol stations are always open automatically, 24/7.

How do I plan international business during festa season?

Festa season runs from April to October. Don’t schedule critical meetings during local festa weeks, keep international partners informed of possible delays, and seize the festas as networking opportunities. A local Maltese employee can tell you the key festa dates for your area.

Which emergency services are available on Maltese holidays?

Hospitals (Mater Dei Hospital), police, fire service, Malta airport, and automatic petrol stations always operate. Internet and telecommunications also work as usual. Pharmacies operate on-call rotations but not all are open on holidays.

Can I attend government appointments on Maltese holidays?

No, all government offices (Identity Malta, Malta Business Registry, tax authorities, etc.) are closed on all 14 holidays. Always plan key appointments or applications well ahead of the holidays.

How does the Malta Holiday Calendar affect my annual planning?

February/March, August, and December are packed with holidays. Schedule major projects around these periods, factor banking blackouts into cash-flow planning, and give international customers early heads-up about Maltese holidays.

Do I have to give Maltese staff days off for festas?

Festas arent automatically days off, but it’s culturally accepted (and expected) for employees to take time off for important local festas—especially in their home village. Develop a flexible festa policy and plan backup solutions accordingly.

Which apps or tools help with holiday planning in Malta?

Use the official Malta Holiday Calendar from gov.mt, sync Maltese holidays with Google Calendar/Outlook, follow visitMalta.com for festa updates, and use banking apps that show closure days. LinkedIn groups for Malta business provide up-to-date information.