Nadur Carnival

The Nadur Carnival is a special and unusual celebration. Unlike many other carnivals, it is not planned by any group, so there are no rules. When the sun sets, many people dressed in funny and strange costumes fill the streets of Nadur.

Nadur is a small place with about 4500 people, located on the island of Gozo, which is next to Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It is about 50 km south of Sicily. The town is managed by a Local Council made up of 5 elected members and one full-time secretary.

Besides a big religious celebration for St. Peter and St. Paul called "L-Imnarja" on June 29, Nadur is well-known for its fun-filled event that happens during the 5 days before Ash Wednesday, which starts the time of Lent. People’s creativity and the many visitors have given this carnival other names like the Spontaneous Carnival, the Grotesque Carnival, or the Macabre Carnival.

In 2005, the Nadur Carnival became important worldwide when it hosted the largest meeting of carnival leaders and organizers from around the globe for the Carnival City summit, arranged by the Federation of European Carnival Cities.