Three large events share the first weekend of October. Two run for four days and the third takes over Valletta for one night.
Malta Classic, 1 to 4 October
Malta Classic brings classic cars to Mdina and Ta’ Qali. The Mdina Grand Prix runs on closed roads below the bastions.
Roads around Mdina and Rabat close early on race days. Park in Rabat and walk in, or take bus 50, 53, 201 or 403.
Watching from the roadside is free. Grandstand and paddock tickets are sold by the organisers.
Defected Malta, 1 to 4 October
Defected Malta is a house music festival in its fifth year here. The organisers list more than 50 artists.
It uses four venues: UNO, The Ditch, Café del Mar and a set of boat parties. The venues are spread across the island, so plan for taxis at night.
Notte Bianca, 3 October
Notte Bianca keeps Valletta open through the Saturday night. Every museum, palace and performance on the programme is free.
Do not drive into Valletta that night. Take the bus, or the harbour ferry from Sliema or the Three Cities.
Rooms and getting around
With three events in four days, rooms in Valletta, Sliema and St Julian’s go early. Hire cars follow the same pattern.
Buses thin out after midnight, so arrange a taxi for the ride back. Malta has three kinds of taxi, and each is priced differently.
The rest of the month is in October is the busiest month in Malta this year.
