Gozo News

The annual agricultural and industrial fair Santa Maria – Agricultural and Handicraft Fair opens tomorrow.

The free agricultural show will be open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 13, 14 and 15.

The exhibition also features Gozo handicrafts, agricultural products, locally produced wine, oil and honey.

The event takes place at the Randall Villa Gardens in Victoria, where visitors of all ages can experience traditional Gozo sights and sounds.

Always a highlight of the Santa Maria Festival, the fair has been held on the island since 1855 and is organised by the Agricultural, Industrial and Cultural Society of Gozo, which originally had its offices in Strada Pieta, now Mons Guzeppi Farrugia Street, in Victoria.

In the past, August 15 was the day when farmers paid their rent (qbiela) for their farmland, but now it has become the official date for the Gozo Agricultural Show.

There are more than 4,000 exhibits on display to the public, including produce, livestock, poultry, vegetables, songbirds and farm machinery.

This popular show provides an opportunity for local farming families to proudly display their produce and livestock.

On Tuesday 13 August, the first day of the exhibition, an official opening ceremony will take place at 5pm, when the exhibition will be open to the public. The opening ceremony will be presided over by Gozo Planning Minister Clint Camilleri and blessed by Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma.

In addition to the exhibition, which will start at 5:15 p.m., there will be family entertainment related to traditional folklore and a dog show. The exhibition will end at 11 p.m. that evening.

The exhibition opens at 10am on Wednesday the 14th. There will be static displays of crafts, fruit and vegetables, birds and poultry. The rabbit show competition starts at 7pm. Between 8pm and 11pm there will be a traditional Ghanaian night with local folk singers and guitarists. The exhibition closes at 11pm.

Then on Thursday the 15th, the exhibition opens to the public at 7am, with a series of animal-related exhibitions and competitions. A prize-giving ceremony takes place at 11am, with trophies and cash prizes awarded to the best exhibits in each category. The exhibition closes at 1pm.

Admission is free.

File photo: 2023 opening ceremony