Independence Day in Malta (21 September): The Story of the Day the Islands Became a Nation

Malta’s story is usually told as a list of owners — Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Knights, the French, the British. Then comes 21 September 1964, the date the list ends. Independence Day marks the moment the islands, for the first time in recorded history as a modern state, belonged to the people standing on them. Here’s the story, and how Malta marks it — for visitors curious what the flags are about, and residents who’d like the fuller version.

In short: Jum l-Indipendenza, 21 September, is a national public holiday commemorating Malta’s independence from Britain in 1964 — the constitutional birth of the nation, later completed by the Republic of 1974 and the departure of the last foreign forces in 1979. It’s marked with official ceremonies at the Independence Monument in Floriana, wreath-laying and band music, and otherwise observed the Maltese way: a proper day off. Expect Sunday-style closures, running transport, and a seafront full of people enjoying exactly what was won.

How independence came

British rule began in the Napoleonic aftermath and lasted more than a century and a half, through Malta’s transformation into the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fortress and the devastation and heroism of the Second World War — the siege years that earned the whole island the George Cross still on its flag. The post-war decades brought the constitutional question to a head: a people who had bled as equals would not remain a colony. Negotiations through the early 1960s — contested, referendum-tested, hard-fought at home and in London — culminated on 21 September 1964, when the Duke of Edinburgh handed over the constitutional instruments and the Maltese flag rose over an independent state at last.

1964, 1974, 1979: one journey, three dates

Maltese history exams — and Maltese dinner tables — treat sovereignty as a trilogy. Independence in 1964 created the state, initially with the Queen as head of state. The Republic of 13 December 1974 replaced the Crown with a Maltese president. And 31 March 1979 — Freedom Day — saw the last British forces sail out of the Grand Harbour, ending nearly two millennia of foreign military presence. Each has its holiday, its monument and its partisans; together they explain why this small nation runs to fourteen public holidays and takes every one seriously.

How the day is actually marked

Independence Day is a dignified one by Maltese standards — closer to remembrance than festa. The centrepiece is ceremonial: wreath-laying and official addresses at the Independence Monument in Floriana, with band performances and the flag everywhere. Beyond the ceremonies, the island simply takes its day: shops close as on Sunday, families lunch long, and — because late September is Malta at its finest — an enormous amount of the celebrating happens in the sea. It’s the quiet sibling of Victory Day two weeks earlier, and the pair bracket Malta’s most historically resonant fortnight.

If you’re here for it

Treat it as a bonus Sunday: buses and ferries run, restaurants serve (book lunch), attractions generally open on holiday hours, and the Floriana ceremonies are public if you’d like the formal version. Otherwise do as the locals do — the promenade, the swim, the long table. From Gzira, Floriana and the capital are minutes away, and the seafront is at your door. Sixty-two years on, the best way to honour the day is to enjoy the place profoundly — which, in September, requires no effort at all.

Frequently asked questions

What is Independence Day in Malta?

A national public holiday on 21 September marking Malta's independence from Britain on 21 September 1964, when the islands became a sovereign state after more than 160 years of British rule — the pivotal step in a journey completed by the Republic in 1974 and the departure of foreign forces in 1979.

How is Independence Day celebrated in Malta?

More solemnly than a festa: official ceremonies and wreath-laying at the Independence Monument in Floriana, band performances, and a quiet national day off. Shops largely close, families gather, and — this being late September — the beaches and seafronts absorb much of the celebrating.

Is everything closed in Malta on 21 September?

Most shops and offices close, as on a Sunday, but restaurants, cafés, public transport and attractions generally operate — often on holiday schedules. Plan like a pleasant Sunday: book lunch, ride the ferry, join the promenade.

Fourteen public holidays, seven millennia of history, one very good place to experience both. Morrison Court: five self-contained apartments in Gzira, minutes from where the flag first rose. Stay for the story at morrisoncourt.com.