8,000 fireworks all set to light up Mqabba feast tonight

Some 8,000 fireworks on a 55-metre high tower are all set to light up the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Mqabba today.

The St Mary Fireworks Group in Mqabba is well-known for being one of the island’s topnotch fireworks’ enthusiasts, with displays that have delighted thousands both locally and abroad, and this year’s feast promises to be no different.

Their trademark Tower of Light rises 55 metres above Mqabba and is loaded with around 8,000 firework petards. The tower is part of a display which will see fireworks synchronised to classic rock and pop music.

This year’s display carries some added significance, because it is the 25th year since the group started putting on fireworks’ shows synchronised to music.

Preparing such a display is a year-round process, and the final details were in full swing when The Malta Independent on Sunday visited the site of the event on Wednesday, just days before the feast.

It was a hive of activity as volunteers gathered to load ground fireworks up and ready their fuses. Today the fireworks will be set off using a computerised system called Fire One, which effectively automises the whole process of firing.

For the volunteers, the feast is everything and being part of a group such as that of Mqabba brings with it a certain pride and a certain level of obligation to provide the best show that they can.

The Tower of Light display will be held today, on the eve of the St Mary feast, and will kick off at 9.45pm. It can be watched from Triq il-Konvoj ta’ Santa Marija – also known as the Mqabba bypass – where seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Seats can be booked online on: https://tickets.evently.com.mt/event/mqabba-fireworks/

There are alternative approaches to Mqabba. The village can be accessed as usual through the airport tunnel and also from the Qormi and Marsa zone via Ħal Farruġ Road or from Siġġiewi via Ta’ Kandja.