The EU’s smallest nation legalised same-sex marriage in July of this year, so we decided it was the perfect time to check out exactly what makes Malta so special.

Words by Jarlath Gregory.

If you’ve never been to Malta, chances are you’re familiar with its scenery as King’s Landing from Game of Thrones, the Medieval backdrop to Gladiator, or the sun-drenched setting for the modern classic that is, er, Madonna’s Swept Away. But gorgeous scenery aside, what does Malta have to offer the modern LGBT+ traveller?

The parliament of this overwhelmingly Catholic country, the smallest in the EU, voted for gay marriage last July, so we decided it was high time to check it out, beginning with Malta’s grassroots Pride parade and taking in some cultural highlights along the way.

One of the great things about Malta Pride is that it feels local. While having businesses on board to lend their support reflects the level of acceptance around LGBT+ lives on the island, the event hasn’t lost its sense of community. “Pride has been on a bit of a journey in Malta for the last four years,” Eamonn Gomez, a Cork man and one of the local Pride organisers, tells us. “We’ve been asking how can we get more of a community turnout? Before, it was more of a political protest. We had 100 people on the streets in 2014 and we knew that was too little. We had 2,500 people on the street this year. It’s great when businesses lend their brand, but how do we not become a super-polished commercial Pride? There’s definitely a balance to be found.”