Costumes made by the Bugeja Carnival Company. Photo: Tonio Schembri

Changes made to the Gozo carnival celebrations, including restrictions on the duration of dances, were aimed at encouraging more participation, a government spokeswoman said.

“After analysing carnival in Gozo, the newly-appointed National and Regional Celebrations’ Committee decided to launch a gradual reform in regulations and in the programme of the Gozo carnival to encourage further participation,” the Gozo Ministry spokeswoman said.

Enthusiasts are, however, worried that the reform will push Gozitan participants out of the picture.

“The organising committee cannot operate in a vacuum. It would be a mortal sin if the Gozo carnival ends up depending on Maltese and foreign companies, as happened this year,” a spokeswoman for the Gozo Carnival Enthusiasts Association (also known as the Bugeja Carnival Company) said.

Two weeks ago, Times of Malta reported that a group of 100 Gozitan carnival enthusiasts, members of the association, were disappointed they could not participate in this year’s celebrations because they were not allotted enough time to perform.

The association was told that, this year, all performances could not exceed 12 minutes in duration. However, at least half an hour was needed in order for the dancers, all Gozitans, to participate, the spokeswoman explained.

Replying to questions sent two weeks ago, the Gozo Ministry said that, following consultations with the Malta Carnival Committee, whose regulations followed a strict six-minute performance time, the Gozo regional committee decided to stick to a standard 12-minute-long performance.

This was discussed during a public meeting with all carnival participants and stakeholders in October, the spokeswoman said.

“The National and Regional Celebrations’ Committee believes that, in this decision, it is guided by the principles of gradual reform and of equity between all carnival participants,” she added. But the association spokeswoman said: “Serious discussions, at least with our group, never took place, only impositions and a fait accompli. Such reforms were anything but gradual and the concerns we aired were simply ignored.

“In fact, we and other participants are now eagerly waiting an invitation from the organising committee to start talks and planning for carnival 2015,” she said.