Carnival enthusiasts will be using new machinery to transport their floats to Valletta this year, following an investment of €1.2 million in new tractors and trailers.

Festivals Malta received 20 new tractors, with 20 new trailers that will be added to its fleet next year.

The investment in the machinery was inaugurated on Monday by the Minister of Culture Owen Bonnici.

The tractors will be used by the carnival participants to transport their floats from their warehouses to Valletta, as well as to navigate their floats around the streets of Valletta.

The Carnival will take place this year between the 17th and 21st of February.

Apart from the investment in these vehicles, Festivals Malta will also be placing a number of containers scattered along the streets of Valletta so that organic waste, plastic and cans can be collected and separated.

The new tractors and trailers will only be used for the Malta carnival, not Gozo, as Festival Malta is not responsible for the festivities on the sister island.

The Minister said that the new tractors and trailers will raise the quality and standard of the Malta carnival, while also making the festival a more sustainable one.

He thanked the many volunteers who dedicate their time to the preparations for the traditional festival.

The new tractors are Euro 5 rated with diesel engines. A spokesman for the ministry said that they emit much less smoke than their predecessors and are also quieter.

“These tractors are equipped with various features of the highest level in terms of safety, so they are safer to work with,” said the Chairman of Festivals Malta Aaron Zahra.

“So in addition to reducing pollution, this investment will help safeguard the health and safety of carnival participants.”

The new tractors were inaugurated on Monday. Photo: Jonathan Borg

The CEO of Festivals Malta Annabelle Stivala said that the tractors represent a change for the Malta Carnival.

“Where in the past years we had to use less adequate machinery as a means of transport for the carnival floats, now we can facilitate the work of our participants while reducing the environmental impact,” she said.

“Thanks to these tractors Festivals Malta will be reducing its carbon footprint and harmful emissions by a considerable amount.”

She said that with the new tractors, the noise pollution caused by normal tractors, which can interfere with the lively atmosphere of the carnival will decrease.

For more information about the Malta carnival visit www.festivals.mt/carnival.