Outcries to shift carnival celebrations to warmer weather, following the typical February downpour that cut short this year’s edition, have been brushed off by the Culture Ministry.

The good weather in May was adequate not only for the carnival floats but also for people of all ages

“Any proposal to shift carnival celebrations to spring is a non-starter because it would eliminate the important historical, religious and cultural dimensions tied to these calendar celebrations,” a spokesman said, recalling an “attempt” to do so in the 1970s.

Following a sunny spell over the weekend, a heavy downpour and strong winds forced carnival organisers to cancel Tuesday’s programme, the last day of ­Carnival 2012.

Carnival enthusiasts saw their floats, which took months to build, being destroyed in a matter of hours.

Paul Mizzi witnessed his float, about 40 feet long and 20 feet high, crumble into a “total loss”. In his opinion the weather problem could be resolved by shifting carnival back to May, as had happened in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Celebrating carnival in May was way better. The good weather was adequate not only for the floats but also for people of all ages... I remember huge crowds flocking to Valletta,” Mr Mizzi said.

But the Culture Ministry insisted that and in many parts of the Catholic world, carnival formed an “integral part” of the Christian calendar and was celebrated immediately before Lent.

The ministry said that while it appreciated the enthusiasts’ frustration, it was “by no means a reason to consider shifting the period when carnival is celebrated”.

However most enthusiasts who spoke to The Times insisted that carnival celebrations should be shifted to May, June or even March. One even suggested splitting carnival celebrations, having the carnival floats defilè in warmer weather and the traditional carnival – with grotesque masks and decorated carts and horse-drawn cabs – in February.

But it seems even having carnival in May is not a solution for some.

Enthusiast Stephen Bondin recalled that the heat in May made life very difficult for dancers, who would not want to wear the heavy costumes.

Fellow float builder Oscar Curmi agreed, noting that whereas in May the weather was nicer, he still lost three floats to strong winds during spring editions. One thing that would certainly put the participants’ mind at rest would be float shelters close to Valletta.

Although a site in Corradino has been earmarked to provide adequate working facilities, enthusiasts said the proposal made in the 1990s to have stores at the park-and-ride site in Blata l-Bajda was “ideal”. Float builder Jackie Armeni said the prospect of moving the workshops to Corradino discouraged many enthusiasts and he would probably not go there.

The Corradino site was too far away from the main hub in Valletta and float-builders would not make it to the storerooms in time to save the floats if they were forced to make a dash in bad weather, Mr Armeni said.

Veteran enthusiast Lorry Coleiro pointed out that float stores in Viareggio, in Italy, were built right next to where the main celebrations too place so that they could be wheeled for shelter after each defilé.

But the ministry said the proposal to build the sheds in Corradino had been accepted by the Float Builders’ Association and, at the moment, not all float builders worked from Valletta. Some hailed from Luqa, Mtarfa and Pembroke.

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