Malta in September: summer-warm sea, fewer crowds than August

September is my favourite month for the sea in Malta. The water has banked a whole summer’s heat, the air starts to ease off and the villages are still celebrating. The catch is that autumn’s first storms arrive and it’s still peak season, so don’t expect an empty island.

A sea that’s as warm as it gets

The Malta Meteorological Office gives September a normal sea temperature of 26.1°C (79°F). That’s practically the same as August, which on its figures works out at around 26.7°C. On land, the average high is about 28.6°C (83°F) by my calculation from its 2022 data, with 253.1 hours of sunshine over the month. In other words, it’s still summer, just without August’s spikes.

The Blue Flag season the tourism authority set for 2026 runs until 11 October, so beaches keep their summer set-up. If the water is the point of your trip, Malta sea temperature compares every month.

Does it rain in September?

A bit, yes. The Met Office starts counting its rainfall year in September, and the monthly norm is 59.2 mm. In 2022 the first rain of the new year brought around 60 mm in the month. It tends to come as heavy showers or thunderstorms that clear quickly, rather than whole grey days. The practical lesson is not to leave a boat trip for your very last day, in case it needs moving.

Two national holidays in three weeks

8 September is Our Lady of Victories, marking the Ottoman retreat that ended the 1565 Great Siege and the day in 1943 when Italy’s surrender was made public. Festivals Malta describes the day. There’s an official ceremony at the Great Siege monument, just off Republic Street, an Armed Forces parade and, later in the day, the traditional regatta on the harbour. In 2026 Heritage Malta held a special opening at Fort St Angelo for the occasion. The history behind it is on the Great Siege of Malta.

The same day is the Nativity of Our Lady, so parishes dedicated to her have their feast. Festivals Malta names the four main ones, Mellieħa, Naxxar, Senglea and Xagħra. Xagħra’s, in Gozo, is the feast of Il-Bambina.

On 21 September Malta marks its independence from Britain in 1964. In 2027 the 8th falls on a Wednesday and the 21st on a Tuesday. Every other date is on Malta public holidays.

The last festas and the cultural calendar

visitmalta says the festa season runs well into September. Gozo’s Ministry closed its 2026 season with Our Lady of Graces at the Capuchins in Victoria on the 13th, the same day Munxar moved its St Paul feast to that year. In Xlendi, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is carried along the promenade, with fireworks let off from barges. For Malta island there’s no official feast calendar, and I’d rather not quote dates I can’t source. Tips for enjoying a feast are on Malta’s village feasts.

Festivals Malta staged the Valletta Guitar Festival from 10 to 12 September 2026, and on the 19th Heritage Malta ran its Museums by Candlelight evening in Rabat and Mdina. From the 21st to the 23rd it also held autumn equinox visits at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra. All three are still waiting on 2027 dates.

One clarification to save you a wasted trip. The Malta International Airshow is a September event, but the MTA says it’s held every two years. The last was on 27 September 2025, and there wasn’t one in 2026.

Countryside, birds and a word of warning

With the first rain the countryside starts to come back to life, and some places reopen. Just outside Mellieħa, Għadira nature reserve reopens for the September to May season. If you’re walking in the countryside, note what the Foreign Office says. Autumn is bird-hunting season, with shooting allowed from two hours before dawn until two hours after dusk, in places that can overlap with footpaths. I’d stick to waymarked routes.

One small thing ends with the month. The tourism authority’s summer ban on demolition and excavation work in designated tourist zones runs until 30 September 2026, so from October you may hear more building work near the resorts. It’s worth asking your hotel about nearby sites if a quiet room matters to you.

September is a good month, but not a quiet one, with 990,556 airport passengers in September 2025. If you want similar water with fewer people, weigh it against October in the best time to visit Malta.