Thousands of people packed Żabbar’s historic Venda l-Antika on Friday night as a massive festa umbrella, considered to be the largest of its kind in Malta, was unveiled in spectacular fashion.The enormous creation was unveiled by the Għaqda Madonna tal-Grazzja Banda San Mikiel A.D. 1883 on 11th September, drawing Żabbar residents alongside visitors from across Malta and Gozo.Months of work went into bringing the ambitious project to life, combining original artwork with countless hours of work by local volunteers.The artwork covering the umbrella was created entirely by Gozitan artist Josef Camilleri, while Żabbar volunteers took care of the extensive fabric work required to produce the enormous piece.This isn’t the first time the organisation has gone big with its festa umbrellas.It marks the fourth time it has produced an umbrella on this scale, with the first dating back to 1999. Smaller versions had already been produced during the 1990s before the tradition evolved into the much larger creations seen today.And the latest umbrella is only one part of a much bigger project.Over the past four years, the organisation has replaced and renewed all the decorations used during Żabbar’s traditional festive marches.The decorations are mounted on specially prepared carts and moved through the streets during the marches, transforming them into travelling displays of colour, craftsmanship and festa culture.The tradition itself can be traced back to Żabbar in the 1980s, before becoming increasingly elaborate towards the end of the 1990s. Similar concepts have since appeared in festas elsewhere around Malta.This year’s celebrations have once again attracted thousands to Żabbar, with the giant umbrella becoming one of the standout sights of the festa.Its unveiling ultimately brought together several elements at the heart of Malta’s festa culture: art, craftsmanship, creativity, volunteerism and an entire community coming together to celebrate its traditions.Have you ever seen something like this?•