Patron Saint Festas Noisy fireworks, ringing church bells and brass bands characterize more than 100 annual Maltese festas on patron saint feast days. These traditional village feasts began four centuries ago. Marching musicians follow parishioners carrying flags and the saint’s statue through the streets. People watch from balconies decorated with lights, banners and paintings of the saint. Reaching into enormous bags, they pull out armfuls of handcut white paper ribbons to scatter over the procession. The confetti strips cover spectators’ heads, drape trumpeters and drummers and accumulate knee-deep in the narrow streets. Children are ecstatic, throwing gobs of paper at each other in the closest substitute Malta will ever have to a snowball fight. Deafening fireworks reverberate from buildings as the statue enters the church. In friendly intervillage rivalry, the success of a festa is determined by the quality, quantity and decibel-level of the fireworks. maltainfoguide.com/malta-village-feasts.html easts.html Calgary Stampede Hundreds of rodeos punctuate calendars of events across North America. A parade of marching bands, horseback riders and chuckwagons kicks off Canada’s largest rodeo – the Calgary Stampede – held annually for 10 days in July. Spectators fill the stadium to watch rodeo events every afternoon. Chutes burst open. Bucking broncs cannonball out, bouncing and jolting their riders. Cowboys and horses work together to rope calves and race around barrels. Competition is intense for $1.85 million in prizes. But the stampede is much more than a Western festival. You’ll enjoy agricultural competitions, midway rides, games and food, powwows, free pancake breakfasts, musical performances on numerous stages and nightly fireworks. It’s no surprise that the Calgary Stampede is called “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” calgarystampede.com Beaches International Jazz Festival If you love music, don’t miss one of Canada’s largest free jazz festivals, which attracts nearly one million attendees during its month-long span. Held in Toronto in July, the Beaches International Jazz Festival showcases both local talent and international performers. In addition to jazz, you’ll hear boogie-woogie, blues, Dixieland, hip-hop and soul music on outdoor stages in several parks, as well as along Queen Street East during StreetFest. During the Salsa on the Beach weekend, you can dance to Latin melodies and enjoy food trucks and a beer garden. beachesjazz.com CSANews | FALL 2023 | 15 Travel
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