St Patrick’s Day is set to hit St Julian’s once again this Sunday, 17th March, yet there seem to be indications that the celebration-packed day could be gradually heading towards Paceville.
Traditionally an Irish feast, St Patrick’s Day has over the years substantially grown in popularity locally, to the extent that it has now become one of the main events for partygoers in Malta.
On the day, many flock towards St Julian’s, primarily the Spinola area, to enjoy a pint of Guinness, drink Irish whiskey, and wear green clothing, all symbols of the occasion. In recent years, the event has become so popular that many bars and pubs in other areas in the locality have started holding celebrations of their own, leading to a day packed with festivities across every corner of St Julian’s.
While the COVID-19 pandemic prompted celebrations to come at a pause for three years, they returned in full force last year.
In fact, last 2023 saw a record number of visitors in St Julian’s and Paceville for the celebrations, with Lovin Malta reporting that over 50,000 people headed to the area for the first round of festivities since the pandemic.
And while this time the festivities will be held on a Sunday – last year they came on a Friday – it looks like this year will be no different.
Speaking to WhosWho.mt, Philip Fenech, Chairman of Town Centre Management Paceville, stated that he believes the hype will be “as good as that of last year.” The Town Centre Management Committee was formed to help manage the Community Development Framework as the area is going through one of the biggest transformations it has ever experienced, given the mega projects taking place there.
Town Centre Management Paceville Chairman Philip Fenech
“St Patrick’s Day has become a popular event, enshrined in the Maltese calendar of events nowadays. People love it because it comes at a time when arguably no other events and celebrations are happening,” he explained.
Spinola has been the hub for all St Patrick’s Day-related celebrations over the years, but recent trends have indicated that these celebrations could well be moving closer and closer to Paceville, Malta’s primary nightclub destination.
Last year, many chose to occupy the area between Spinola and Paceville, with this location having a number of bars and pubs that throw street parties.
This year, that trend looks set to repeat itself, with social media event pages suggesting that more than 1,500 people are interested in attending a street party in the area. This is not considering the thousands of people that go to these parties without confirming on social media. Additionally, other bars closer to Paceville are also holding their own special events.
Events held closer to Spinola still have a steady number of interested visitors, and while the marketing for such events may be a crucial factor for respondents, the numbers are still far from those being celebrated further up in Triq Ross.
The crowd at Spinola, outside Tigullio, on St Patrick's Day 2023 / Shaun Spiteri Photography / Facebook
Commenting on this, Mr Fenech said that Paceville is still not the main area for St Patrick’s Day, as “Spinola was, and still is, the centre point” for these celebrations. However, he said that the celebrations have grown so much in popularity that it has “moved all over the area, including the Paceville whereabouts too.”
“This gives St Patrick’s Day a different dynamic and vibe according to the groups that visitors desire to be in. Some celebrate it in a less vibrant ambience, and this event caters for them too given the variety of establishments present in St Julian’s and Paceville,” he explained.
Nikolett Sinka, Operations Coordinator at The Thirsty Barber, one of the establishments located close to Paceville, told WhosWho.mt that given the event is falling on a Sunday this year, it remains to be seen what size of crowd the celebrations bring.
“Last year was the first year after the pandemic that we had St Patrick’s Day’s street celebrations back, and it was on a Friday, when our bar is busy anyway, so it is hard to tell the impact based on that, and we also had an Irish band that made our bar stand out,” she added.
“We have doubled our team compared to a usual Sunday evening,” Ms Sinka said.
Alex House, another bar in the vicinity, had already increased its staff for last year's event, and has therefore retained the same number of employees, Owner Giuliano Di Curzio explained.
"While the bar was very full, we managed. The bar itself isn't too big so there isn't a lot of space for too many people," he added.
In addition to this, local bars and pubs have recently struggled with a shortage of Ireland’s most popular drink, Guinness. Ms Sinka said that while The Thirsty Barber has the beer in stock, it could not get any extra cases for this week.
“We are not worried about that as our main focus is on our cocktail specials plus we also have a good beer selection, including a great craft stout,” she affirmed.
On the increase in the number of people heading to Paceville on St Patrick's Day, Mr Di Curzio said: "Last year we saw a lot of people and the area surrounding us was very full. People went everywhere, from Spinola to Paceville."
"We also noticed that people started going to Paceville at an earlier time than usual," he continued.
Mr Fenech stated that St Patrick’s Day is not an event that is organised by the St Julian’s Local Council or Town Centre Management, and it is something that had started spontaneously being celebrated by a few bars in the area, before crowds started “multiplying from one establishment to the other, with more bars filling up year after year as they attracted more crowds.”
Prior to the pandemic, crowds had grown so substantially that there were traffic jams and a number of road disruptions. Residents had also expressed their discontent, complaining about drunk partygoers, noise, and rubbish.
“Nobody envisaged it would grow so much. Everybody was concerned the next year that structures needed to be put in place to be able to mitigate the activity that this now-popular day had grown to,” Mr Fenech said.
He ensured that nowadays, police and other officials for traffic control, traffic deviations, security, fire engines, cleaning, public transport, and more, will be in place. Additionally, the Local Council sees that residents can get home safely because of the barriers or other logistics that can lead to inconveniences.
Asked whether St Patrick’s Day has lost its Irish charm over the years, Mr Fenech said that many still choose to drink special Irish beers, wear green hats, and listen to Irish music, but the majority have made it “an excuse to party beyond any recognition of music and style that St Patrick’s Day is renowned for.”
“For some it’s become an excuse for one big party under the guise of St Patrick’s Day. Locals and tourists love it anyway, and look forward to the fun it generates every year,” he concluded.
Where will you be celebrating St Patrick’s Day this year?
Main Image:The crowd at Triq Ross during St Patrick's Day 2023 / Gabriel Galea
