October is normally the quiet month after the season ends. In 2026 it carries more than any other month of the year.
Four things happen within four weeks, and three of them bring people to the island rather than only entertaining the people already here.
The dates
- 3 October: Notte Bianca. Valletta open all night, everything free.
- 17 October: the Rolex Middle Sea Race starts from the Grand Harbour at 11am.
- 24 October: the Junior Eurovision Song Contest at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali.
- 28 October to 1 November: the Three Palaces Festival.
The Gozo opera season also falls in October, with both Victoria theatres staging a full opera days apart.
What that means for rooms
Late October used to be the cheapest good month to visit. This year it is not.
The week of 24 October is the tightest, with a television production in town and a yacht race prize giving on the same days.
Book well ahead if you are coming for any of it, and check the ferry if you are staying in Gozo.
Car hire follows the same curve. The last fortnight is the part to book early.
The weather is the other reason to come
The sea is still warm from summer and holds its heat into November, sitting around 24–25°C through the month.
Daytime temperatures sit in the low twenties and the humidity has gone. There is more on when the heat breaks.
It is the best walking month of the year.
The countryside greens up after the first rain and the coastal paths are comfortable all day rather than only at either end of it.
Rain does arrive, usually as short heavy storms rather than grey days. Take a jacket for the evenings.
If you want the quiet version
The first half of the month is much calmer than the second.
Notte Bianca is one night, and the rest of that fortnight is ordinary.
Sites and museums are on winter hours from 1 October, which means shorter afternoons. Check before building a day around one.
The beaches are still swimmable and almost empty, and the kiosks that stay open have no queue.
Getting around in the busy week
Ta’ Qali has no rail link and the MFCC car park fills. Buses run extra services for large events there.
For the race start, the Upper Barrakka and the Three Cities waterfront are the free viewpoints. Both are full by ten.
Everything with a confirmed date is on the events calendar.
