The tradition of bread-making is one of Qormi’s most reknowned characteristic in its people. Qormi can in fact boast of having the best ‘Hobz tal-Malti’ (lit. Maltese bread) from all over the Maltese islands, which is produced by the considerably large number of bakeries present all over Qormi. A windmill present on the outskirts of Qormi continues to reflect and be a proof of this ancient tradition.
Having all this in mind and aiming to increase consciousness towards a tradition which is being lost through time, ROOTS, a group of 12 local youth, established under the patronage of the St Sebastian Parish Youth Centre, organised the first ever Bread Festival activity in Malta in September 2002. This first Bread Festival formed part of an EU Youth Initiative project, and was in fact just one of the activities set-up by this group from a series of other activities aimed at increasing awareness towards Qormi’s cultural roots. The 2002 Bread Festival activity was such a huge success, both amongst locals and amongst other individuals coming from different towns and villages, that the St Sebastian Parish Youth Centre continued to prepare and manage the Bread Festival year after year.
"The Bread Festival has in fact evolved into an annual Qormi event, involving the collaboration of different entities and supported by the Qormi Local Council. The Bread Festival has during the past 3 years being organised and managed by the Pastoral & Liturgical Youth Group (P.L.Y.G.), which is still a youth group set-up under the patronage of the St Sebastian Parish Church. The 2009 Bread Festival shall be the 8th edition of this much awaited annual event".
The Qormi Bread Festival evolves around the concept of promoting the local bread-making tradition, encouraging its preservation and demonstrating its importance as a unifying factor amongst the diversity of cultures located within Malta’s surrounding region.
Qormi boasts of having the best “Hobz tal-Malti” (lit. Maltese bread) from all over the Maltese islands which tradition dates back to the Knights period.
