Arts Council Malta recognizes the Maltese festa as part of the fabric of our towns and villages.

These festivities are associated with several fireworks factories making sure that our summer nights are brightly lit with delightful colours and dazzling pinwheels. Most of these factories operate on a voluntary basis with many hard-working pyrotechnicians of all ages putting in long hours on our much-cherished traditional feasts. Against this backdrop, the Council is launching again its festa-related financial initiative, namely the Health and Safety Standards in Fireworks Factories Fund, with the aim of facilitating investment to further strengthen the infrastructure of these factories so that volunteers can work in an increasingly safer environment. This fund is being administered by Arts Council Malta within the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.

In many towns and villages, both in Malta and in Gozo, we find fireworks factories that are usually associated with traditional Maltese festas. Groups of volunteers work in these plants all year round, reaping the fruits of their labours during their local festa days. Dating back several decades, fireworks culture in Malta is still considered an artistic tourist attraction forming part of Maltese cultural heritage. This scheme allocates funds to fireworks factories to upgrade their infrastructure so that volunteers can work in a safer environment, both during the manufacturing process and the letting off of fireworks. This funding also allots funds to enable these factories to invest in resources that will improve the quality of our innovative pyrotechnic product while still maintaining health and safety.

Applications may be made to cover, inter alia:


• Investment in equipment and gear to improve safety while the letting off of fireworks
• Investment in machinery and tools to facilitate the fireworks production process and increase production safety
• Investment in health and safety education resources in fireworks manufacturing
• Investment in the infrastructure fireworks factories
• Restoration of fireworks factories
• Efforts strengthening cooperation between local and European fireworks factories.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be fireworks factories that qualify as a voluntary organisation enrolled with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organizations. 

Deadline 

The deadline to apply is Tuesday 21 March 2023 at noon. Late application cannot be accepted.

Guidelines

Click here to download guidelines and click here to download application form template. 

Clarification

You may download the clarification of the definition of applicant applicable to this scheme.

Applicants are required to register a new profile as from January 2021. 

Apply here.  

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