It’s carnival again, when most Maltese abandon their worries, don a costume and make merry in the streets ahead of the fasting and penance of Lent.

Only, Lent has already passed, July is nearing its end and this carnival is being held in tourist hotspot Buġibba, rather than in the old cities and villages where carnival was traditionally celebrated.

Opening this weekend, the Grand Summer Carnival aims to give tourists a taste of the traditional festivity.

Speaking at the launch from a float workshop in Mtarfa, organiser Paul Chetcuti of Catwalk Productions said this would bring the traditional Maltese carnival to the tourists who gather in Buġibba in summer, as well as serve as a time to relax and unwind for the Maltese.

“We’ve got nine floats, three smaller ones and 450 dancers,” Mr Chetcuti said.

Asked why a carnival in July, Mr Chetcuti said towns all around Europe were having summer carnivals, such as in Viareggio, Acireale and Ragusa.

“Float workers deserve to have a chance of going out without the competition, and in summer they can enjoy it more and hang out with their groups and families. Also, tourists who come in summer will be able to see something which can usually only be seen in winter,” Mr Chetcuti said.

“I encourage people to come, enjoy, celebrate and drink, there’s nothing wrong with that,” the organiser said.

Local Councils Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said supported the idea, saying when he was president of the Federation of European Carnival Cities, Nadur, of which he was mayor, had hosted a summer carnival for the FECC summit, which was a success and showed the idea could work.

He said the event would help float builders get more mileage out of their floats, which took months to prepare.

The organisers confirmed some floats will be reused but with some modifications.

The council is backing the event and the parade will visit more places than last year after very positive feedback received from the business community, mayor Graziella Galea said.

The event, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, is being organised by Catwalk Productions in conjunction with the local council and the support of Dr Said’s secretariat.

The festivities start at about 7 p.m. and traffic is expected to be quite heavy; Mr Chetcuti said last year there were traffic jams until 1 a.m.