As December 2025 arrives, Malta layers on a subtle festive sheen, blending mild Mediterranean days with the steady chime of church bells and the scent of pine from corner stalls. Daytime highs settle around 17 degrees Celsius, dipping to 13 at night, with showers that pass as quickly as they come, often leaving behind a fresh breeze off the Grand Harbour. Pack a light coat for evenings, but expect enough sun for unhurried rambles through backstreets where holly wreaths hang from wrought-iron balconies.
Valletta leads the way with its Christmas market on Republic Street from early December, where wooden booths sell hand-painted crib figures and loaves of figolli almond cakes for €4 a slice, the air humming with chatter over cups of ponche mulled wine at €2.50. St George’s Square lights up around 1 December, strings of bulbs tracing the outlines of grand facades, and the Teatru Manoel stages seasonal plays like pantomimes that draw families for €20 tickets, the auditorium’s red velvet seats warmed by the crowd’s easy laughter. On Christmas Eve, midnight masses fill the St John’s Co-Cathedral with candlelight and hymns, free to attend, followed by family tables laden with roast turkey and imqaret date pastries shared in nearby trattorias.
A ferry to Gozo for €4.65 crosses in under half an hour, landing at Mġarr where the island’s quieter pace reveals nativity scenes in Għajnsielem village, actors in simple robes tending real sheep amid olive trees, open to visitors from 20 December for a suggested €5 donation.
Back on the main island, Sliema’s waterfront hosts carol singers on weekends, their voices carrying over plates of grilled lampuki fish at €12 from harbourside spots, while the Dalma Festival on 6 and 7 December at Ta’ Qali brings techno beats to outdoor stages, entry €30 for those keen on dancing under floodlights till late. Markets in Mosta and Mdina offer quieter browsing for local honey jars and prickly pear liqueurs at €6 a bottle, the domed basilica’s steps a fine perch for watching Sunday processions.
New Year’s Eve crescendos at St George’s Square, where from 8pm crowds pack in for a lineup of Maltese acts like Ira Losco and Shaun Farrugia, building to a headline set by Cascada before fireworks burst over the harbour at midnight, the show free and broadcast live on local TV. For a calmer start to 1 January, Mellieħa’s bay hosts a traditional sea swim at dawn, wetsuits optional in the 16-degree water, followed by hot tea at beach cafés for €1.50. Hotels along the Sliema promenade ease into holiday rates, doubles with balcony views from €90 a night, and many lay on gala dinners of braised rabbit and seasonal sorbets for €50 a head, reservations advised a week ahead.
Throughout the month, buses run €2 routes to villages like Paola, where street lights twinkle over small squares and bakeries push trays of qagħaq ta’ l-għasel honey rings fresh from the oven at €1 each. Rain might dampen a morning, but it clears to blue skies that suit a climb up Mdina’s walls for views across to Gozo, or a stop at a Mdina Glass workshop for molten demonstrations that run daily, pieces starting at €15. By Epiphany on 6 January, the season winds down with bean cakes at parish fêtes, a nod to kings and hidden charms that locals slice into with grins. Malta in December turns the calendar’s turn into a series of straightforward joys, from harbour fireworks to hearthside meals, all under a sun that lingers just long enough.
