Zejtun olive oil festival in Malta

At the end of September we were in Malta together with several members of the Mediterranean olive oil academy team to take part in the annual olive oil festival held in the village of Zejtun each September.

The festival is very popular on the island and has been running for many years, it takes place once the olive oil harvest in Malta is in full swing with some of the producers also being able to offer the new season olive oil to the public if it is an early harvest.

Zejtun is a small Maltese village in the south east of the island and is typical of the diverse influences that have shaped the architecture and culture of this beautiful Mediterranean island.

The olive oil festival is normally held each year in the last weekend of September and attracts many thousands of visitors on the Saturday evening and Sunday during the day. There are many stands selling the lovely Maltese olive oil and lots of local artisan food producers are also present selling typical Maltese food and and other products.

The festival started around 7 pm on the Saturday night and went on until late in the evening and the six of us from the Academy present enjoyed tasting the new season olive oils and also sampling the local Maltese foods, we also enjoyed the traditional Maltese music and dances which were held on several stages located around the main square.