Fresh from winning the Golden Star Award of the EU for its project ‘From Carpineto Romano to Ħamrun One Europe’ thus becoming the first Maltese local council to win this prestigious award, Ħamrun council recently organised another chocolate festival following the one held last year.

The festival included sculptors, painters, body painters and make-up artists using chocolate as their medium. Chocolate works of art were also exhibited.

The programme included cookery demonstrations using chocolate products, sweets, pastry, bread, cakes, ice-creams and various types of food prepared with chocolate, demonstrations by teachers from the Institute of Tourism Studies of duck and chicken dishes involving chocolate, as well as demonstrations by a famed Belgian chocolatier, a show by the In Guardia re-enactment group, and exhibitions at the Hobbies Society Club and other venues. There was also a stage and a children’s play area.

However, it was a pity that the numerous visitors felt hemmed in by the lack of space in which they could move.

There were not enough side streets for the spillover, and the main street leading to the festival area was cluttered with large stands, making the narrow street evennarrower.

Had such stands been placed in a wider area, such as the square behind the Immaculate Conception church, they would not have created such an obstruction.

Also, Maitland Street should be incorporated in the venue, because it gives an alternative route as would more streets in the area around the Hobbies Society Club.

Maybe, for future editions, theLittle Sisters of the Poor Home, the Benna factory, the Dun Frans Camilleri School and the area around the Immaculate Conception church should be included within the festival area.

There should also be more lights and decorations along the streets, and trucks and vans belonging to the owners of stands should be parked away from the streets and festival area. Stands should also be put up in more streets and not crowded together.