The Malta Regatta is returning in 2026 with more boats and bigger crowds. Photo: Malta Regatta.
Crowds of Maltese community members from around the country will stand on the shores of Belmore Basin shouting the names of their hometowns in support of racing rowers when the Malta Regatta returns to the region this month.
The inaugural Malta Regatta in Wollongong was an experiment built on a feeling from a childhood experience.
“Last year was a pilot and we had nothing to work with, only our memories,” George Cross Falcons Community Centre president and organiser Louis Parnis said.
“I’ve only been once, when I was about 10 with my father and my brother, so I had to draw all that information from when I was 10.”
Even with just two boats involved, the 2025 event captured the spirit of being involved in the Maltese national tradition which has century-old roots.
“To reignite what most people felt, not necessarily the ones that are born here, but people like me that actually physically went to the regatta … 59 years later I’m reliving it without catching a plane, so how good is that,” Louis said.
Now the event is coming back and is set to be even bigger, with five teams secured to row the boats which will represent towns in Malta.
And from the clothing, hats and decorations to the sounds from the shore, it is sure to be spectacular, with busloads of people already booked in and coming from interstate.
“Everything is made in the Illawarra, so it’s good for the economy,” Louis said.
“People are going to sleep in the Illawarra, they’re going to eat in the Illawarra.
“Every week I have another bus. Last year the locals made up 80 per cent; this year they’re probably only going to be 40 per cent of the total people.
People are travelling from across the country to see a piece of the action. Photo: Malta Regatta.
“They say the Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the nation, well the regatta is going to stop the Maltese – they’re all going to come running to Wollongong Harbour.
“We’re calling it regatta fever.”
The rowers are also excited to be a part of the experience which extends beyond rowing to a representation of deep cultural connection.
“The boat that won last year, they said that they want to row the same boat for the same town, which is my town mind you – Marsa,” Louis said.
But while Louis may be cheering for Marsa, he will need to be loud if his cheers are to be heard, with the rowers to go straight out to sea for more than a kilometre before racing back to the crowds.
“Then as they approach, the whole harbour – I can hear them now – they’ll be yelling and screaming for their home town and there’ll be some sort of winner,” Louis said.
Racers will receive special recognition and medals for their participation, including a token to remember the town they represented.
Louis hopes that one day the event might even attract rowers from the towns themselves.
“Ultimately what I’d like to see is some Maltese rowers who row professionally to come and join us – that will be the pinnacle of it,” he said.
But with an idea built from scratch already gaining in popularity, Louis says there’s plenty of potential for the event.
“We created something that never existed,” Louis said.
“Success is for Wollongong – it’s how do we put Wollongong on the map – and we believe that after this year this will become an annual event and more participation, maybe two races and could be bigger sponsors.
“We can’t anticipate what next year will bring.”
The Malta Regatta will be held at Wollongong Harbour from 9 am on Sunday 20 September.
