Festa Frawli 2009
(Strawberry Festival) Mgarr - Malta
The third edition of Festa Frawli, was once again a recognized success. The Prime Minister himself stated that Festa Frawli has earned itself a permanent place in the Maltese calendar. An extensive Photo Gallery, Video as well as reports and articles from Maltese and foreign media will be posted on this site. Once again, a big thank you to the volunteers and farmers who have worked hard and with immense dedication.
Photo Gallery by Mario Vassallo added -> Here
Festa Frawli 2009 (Strawberry Festival) Mgarr - Malta
Now in it's third edition, this year Festa Frawli (Strawberry Festival) will be held on the 26th of April, starting from 11:00am, in the Mgarr parish square. The fragrant smell of Strawberries, their sweet juicy taste, the lush colours of the Imgarr valley and the joyous sounds of Maltese folk music will envelope your senses! The Mgarr square will be buzzing with activity for the Festa Frawli 2009!
Freshly picked strawberries on sale throughout the whole day
Smoothies, Milk Shakes, Desserts, Gourmet Dishes & Childrens' Snacks, all prepared on the spot with fresh strawberries by qualified chefs.
Strawberry Jams, preserves, Wine and other home made products for sale.
Folk themed entertainment, including music, dances and much more.
Handmade artistic souvenirs specially designed for the Festival.
Horse riding, games with animators, childrens' show and playground.
Free Park and Ride: Ample parking area with transport to/from square.
Several stalls will be selling freshly picked strawberries, ferried to the square hourly by the farmers themselves. Qualified chefs will be preparing gourmet dishes such as strawberry risotto and soup. Also, strawberries with novel dressings such as balsamic vinegar can be savored at the chef's stalls. Drinks will include a variety of refreshing smoothies, milk shakes as well as strawberry wine.
The on-site kitchen will be serving mouth watering desserts including cakes, gateaux, ice creams (in edible chocolate cups!) as well as waffles, pancakes, tarts, fruit salads and of course chocolate dipped strawberries. And for the little ones, how about strawberries decorated with chocolates and sweets in the shape of cute mice and other fun animals? Regular snacks (sandwiches, rolls, salads etc), soft drinks and beer will also be on sale.
An established Maltese ethnic music group (their name is being kept under wraps by the oranisers!), as well as folk dancers and singers (both local and national) will be entertaining the public throughout the day. Many special moments and other surprised will also be unveiled during the event!
Children can enjoy the large playground right beside the parish square, take horse and pony rides, enjoy the talent show by local children as well as take part in the exciting games by the many animators. The Mgarr carftsmen have designed and made beutiful themed souvenirs, in a cosy country style, but with a few original touches. These handmade collectibles will be on sale at the crafters' stalls.
With Festa Frawli now firmly established as the agri-tourism event of the year, the enthusiastic organisers haven't rested on their laurels for this edition! Besides the numerous features which made the previous year's festival an unquestionable success, many surprises await this years' visitors! Festa Frawli is a unique, fun filled day for the whole family, definitely not to be missed!
ADT Bus No.47 (which passes through Valletta, Floriana, Pieta, Msida, B'Kara, Mosta) stops right at the Mgarr Parish Square. If using your own transport, this map might come in usefull (use the arrows on your left). Remember, free Park and Ride will be available, with ample parking area and regular shuttle service to and from the parish square.
Festa Frawli is organised exclusively by the 'Lejla Mgarrija' committee with support from the Mgarr local council, MRAE and the 'Naturalment Malti' campaign. It is a non profit event, put up volunteers with the sole intent of promoting the Maltese culture and Maltese products. All stalls and activities are put up and vetted by the organisers themselves, ensuring they meet a high quality standard. A multitude of established companies and organisations also contribute significantly, donating material, manpower and lending the necessary equipment. Farmers also donate freely their produce, including the strawberries.
Festa Frawli 2008
YouTube - Festa Frawli 2008 - Mgarr Malta
Article - The Times of Malta - 18 April 2008
Article - The Times of Malta - 20 April 2008
Article - The Times of Malta - 21 April 2008
The Festa Frawli 2008 (Strawberry Feast) was held on the 20th of April in the main village square in front of the Mgarr parish church. The agricultural village of Mgarr, Malta is renowned for the quality and unique taste of it's strawberries. Throughout the event, a breathtaking amount of fresh strawberries was sold. A contant supply of freshly picked strawberries was being ferried constantly to the event throughout the day. Indeed, all participating farmers said they emptied their strawberry fields!
Also counltess other products made with strawberries, from choclate gatoux and cakes, right to smoothies, milk-shakes, ice-cream waffles, pancakes, strawberry jams and also strawberry wine were sold out well before the end of the event. Local farmers also having run out of fresh strawberries.
The popular Maltese folk groups Aurora along with many others also entertained the many visitors throughout the day, playing traditional Maltese tunes with typical folk Maltese instruments. From the musicians joyful expressions it was obvious they were having a wonderful time too! Surrounded by the lush green valleys of Mgarr, the parish square (pictured below) offerred an idyllic scenario for such an event.
The Lejla Mgarrija committee supported by the Mgarr local council have come up with the idea and organised the first 'Festa Frawli' last year, as a sister event to the Lejla Mgarrija. The event was a success beyond everyone's expectations, with large crowds buying up all products within an hour! All of the Maltsese news outlets featured prominently the event. "Strawberries were sold faster than growers could pack them yesterday as the Parvis of the Mġarr church turned ‘red’ during the first strawberry fest in this quaint agricultural village” (Times of Malta 16/04/07). The event was indeed featured on the front page of all major Maltese newspapers. The want for such events was clearly there, so it was decided to make Festa Frawli an annual event, and greatly amplify the selection and supply of all the products.
The 'Festa Frawli' 2008 was organized exclusively by the Mgarr villagers on a voluntary basis, guided by the 'Kumissjoni Lejla Mgarrija' with support from the Mgarr local council. All of them gave their time freely and poured in considerable effort to make the event possible. Starting from the farmers, who set aside produce for the event, to renowned Maltese companies which freely loaned the multitude of equipment needed, donated material and also made available their employees to help out. Thus, the event is a non-commercial event with the sole intent of promoting Maltese products.
