Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady in Victoria, Gozo

On Friday 14 August, Victoria (the capital of Gozo) celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, one of the most important feasts in the Catholic calendar and in Maltese and Gozitan tradition. Marching brass bands parade through Victoria's historic streets, while locals decorate homes, squares and archways with flags, flowers and religious statuary. The evening procession carries a statue of Our Lady through candlelit streets accompanied by hymn-singing, framed by the town's tall limestone buildings.

Food stalls line the streets serving imqaret, qubbajt, pastizzi and other Maltese delicacies, and families gather in the squares to take part. Fireworks typically light the sky above the town after dark.

As the feast of Gozo's capital, it draws a larger crowd than most village festas on the island.