Why book this evening
Why book this evening
History told through six dancers, not a stage script
The centrepiece of the night is a folklore performance by six dancers in eighteenth-century costume, working through what Ta' Marija itself calls a jovial telling of Maltese history in dance. It isn't a lecture with props — it's a small company who have been doing this since 1990, in a restaurant built around it rather than a theatre that happens to serve dinner.
The music finds you at the table
Strolling musicians play mandolins and guitars through the room rather than performing from a fixed stage, so the sound moves around you as you eat instead of coming from one direction. It's closer to a village feast than a formal recital, which is the point.
A menu built around the island's own kitchen
Ta' Marija has spent six decades as one of Malta's best-known names for home-style Maltese cooking — rabbit dishes, hearty soups and slow-cooked staples rather than a generic hotel banquet. The 4-course menu on folklore nights is drawn from that kitchen, with a choice of starter and main, including the restaurant's signature stuffed rabbit.
The transfer removes the one hard part
Hotel pickup and return are part of this booking, and your collection point is set to match wherever you're staying.
How the night turns
How the night turns
Ta' Marija's folklore night runs on a fixed clock — four courses of dinner first, then the folklore show and the dancefloor, from a 7:30pm start to half past ten. Here is the shape of it.
The courses
- 7:30pm Arrival
Seated, with wine and water
Doors open at half past seven. You're shown to your table as the room fills, with local wine and mineral water poured while the restaurant settles into the evening.
- 8:00pm First course
Into the Maltese kitchen
The 4-course menu opens with an antipasto of Maltese sausage, goat's cheese and pistachios, followed by a choice of starter: a traditional shellfish and garlic soup, or gorgonzola-filled ravioli.
- 8:45pm Main course
The kitchen's signature register
The main course leans on the hearty, home-style cooking the restaurant has built its name on across sixty years — the kind of plate Maltese families still cook for a feast day, not a hotel-buffet approximation of it.
- 9:15pm Dessert
Dessert and coffee
Dessert and coffee close out the meal — the point in the evening where the room starts talking to the table next to it, just before the dancers take the floor.
The music & dance
- 7:45pm Musicians
Mandolins move through the room
Strolling musicians on mandolin and guitar work between the tables as the first course lands, setting the evening's register before the dancers appear.
- 9:30pm First act
Six dancers, in eighteenth-century dress
Once dinner is cleared, the folklore troupe takes the floor in period costume, opening the story Ta' Marija has told since 1990. The dancefloor is raised so you can watch from your table.
- 10:00pm Second act
The story continues
The story continues through a second sequence, building the evening rather than repeating the opening — the show follows dinner rather than running alongside it.
- 10:15pm Finale
Everyone on the floor
By the last half hour the formal performance gives way to something looser, and it's common for the room itself to end up dancing before the night closes at half past ten.
Mosta, and getting there
Mosta, and getting there
Ta' Marija sits in Mosta, a town in the centre of the island best known for one of the largest church domes in the world — worth knowing before you book, because it shapes both the drive there and the town you arrive in.
In the shadow of the Rotunda
Mosta's Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption, known simply as the Rotunda, has one of the largest unsupported church domes anywhere — modelled on Rome's Pantheon and built, remarkably, around the older church it replaced so the town never lost a place to worship during the 28 years of construction. A German bomb pierced the dome during Mass in April 1942 and failed to explode; the casing is still kept in the church today. It's a five-minute detour if your pickup passes near the town centre, and a striking sight lit up at dusk.
67 Constitution Street
Ta' Marija has operated from the same address in Mosta since 1990, a family-run restaurant that has become one of the island's best-known names for traditional Maltese cooking. It is not on the coastal resort strip — which is exactly why the transfer matters.
Pickup from across the island
Hotel pickup and drop-off come with this booking — collection typically starts in the early evening, from around 5:50pm in some areas, and continues until roughly 7:20pm depending on your location. You'll get your precise window once you book.
If you'd rather drive yourself
Some travellers with a hire car prefer to arrive independently rather than take the shared transfer. That's a separate booking option on the listing — check the inclusions on the specific option you choose, since the transfer is what changes between them, not the dinner or the show.
The evening, in pictures
The evening, in pictures
Maltese boats, folk performance, strolling musicians and the dinner table the evening is built around. These are representative photographs of Malta and of folk dance, music and dining generally — not photographs of Ta' Marija, its dancers or its dining room.
Booking options & what's included
Booking options & what's included
| Option | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| 4-course dinner, show & transfer | The set 4-course Maltese dinner with wine, the folklore show, and hotel pickup and drop-off | The option featured on this page — the simplest choice for a night that wraps up well after dark. |
| Dinner & show only | The same dinner and performance, without the transfer | Suits travellers with their own car, or staying close to Mosta |
| À la carte, with the show | Choosing from the full restaurant menu instead of the set 4-course menu | Offered directly by the restaurant — check current availability before assuming it's bookable on this listing |
| Private transfer upgrade | A private car instead of the shared scheduled pickup | Worth it for larger groups or a pickup time outside the scheduled windows |
Ways to book the evening
Find a date for your evening
Every way to book the folklore night below routes through GetYourGuide's own calendar for Ta' Marija, so you can see which dates still have a table before you pick one.
Planning your evening
Planning your evening
Book the date, not just the night
Ta' Marija hosts its folklore dinner shows on selected nights — Friday above all, with Tuesday folklore nights on some schedules — rather than every evening. Pick your date early on the live calendar rather than assuming any evening will have space — miss it and the next is usually days away, not the following night.
Check your pickup window when you book
Scheduled collection can start as early as around 5:50pm depending on your resort area, well before the 7:30pm show start. Confirm your window at booking and be ready at the front of your accommodation rather than in your room.
Come with an appetite, and shoes you can stand in
This is a multi-course set menu built for a long evening, and the night tends to end with the room itself up and dancing. Pace yourself through the early courses, and don't dress for an evening that stays seated.
It's a reason to see Mosta after dark
Most Malta itineraries stay on the coast. A folklore night pickup is a rare excuse to see the island's interior — and the Rotunda's dome lit up at dusk — on the way to dinner rather than as a separate day trip.
Planning a folklore night in Malta
Planning a folklore night in Malta
The Malta folklore night at Ta' Marija: what actually happens
Wine and a 4-course Maltese dinner from half seven, then six dancers in eighteenth-century costume turning history into movement once the plates are cleared — here's the shape of the night, in order.
Read more →The dances and music, explainedIl-Maltija, għana and the żaqq: Maltese folk dance and music for first-timers
What the folklore troupe's costumed dance draws on, what strolling mandolins and guitars have to do with Maltese tradition, and the older instruments — like the nearly-vanished żaqq bagpipe — that once carried this music before them.
Read more →The menu, explainedWhat's on the menu at Ta' Marija's folklore night — and how dietary needs work
The 4-course menu draws on Ta' Marija's sixty years of Maltese cooking, with a choice of starter and main. Here's the kind of food to expect, and how to handle dietary requirements before the night rather than at the table.
Read more →Getting thereThe transfer to Ta' Marija: pickup times, resort areas, and getting home
Mosta isn't on the coastal resort strip, so the included transfer is doing real work on this booking. Here's how the pickup windows actually break down by area, and what to do if you'd rather drive yourself.
Read more →Booking timingWhat nights the Malta folklore show runs, and when to book
Ta' Marija's folklore night isn't a nightly show — it runs on selected nights, Fridays above all. Here's how to find a date and when to book.
Read more →Around the islandMosta and beyond: building the rest of your Malta evenings
One night belongs to Ta' Marija. Here's how the rest of a Malta trip's evenings — Valletta, Mdina, the harbour towns — tend to fit around it.
Read more →FAQ
Folklore night questions
What is the Malta folklore dinner show at Ta' Marija?
It's an evening at Ta' Marija restaurant in Mosta that combines a set 4-course Maltese dinner with a folklore performance — six dancers in eighteenth-century costume telling a story of Maltese history through dance, accompanied by strolling mandolin and guitar musicians. The restaurant has run these evenings since 1990.
What time does the evening start, and how long should I set aside?
Ta' Marija's folklore nights run from 7:30pm to 10:30pm, about three hours in total. If your booking includes the transfer, scheduled pickup begins earlier — as early as around 5:50pm depending on your resort area — and your exact window is confirmed when you book.
Where is it held?
At Ta' Marija restaurant, 67 Constitution Street, in Mosta — a town in the centre of Malta best known for the Rotunda, one of the largest church domes in the world. Mosta sits away from the main coastal resort strip, which is why most visitors take the included transfer.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, if you choose the option with transport — hotel pickup and drop-off are then part of the booking, and your collection window is confirmed once you book. Some other folklore-night listings skip the transfer, so double-check inclusions before you choose.
What's on the menu, and can dietary needs be accommodated?
The evening is built around a set 4-course Maltese menu, with a choice of starter and main — the restaurant is best known for hearty, home-style Maltese cooking, including its stuffed rabbit. Local wine, mineral water and coffee are included, and dietary requirements are best flagged with the operator before your date rather than at the table.
What nights does the folklore show run?
Ta' Marija runs the folklore night on selected nights rather than every evening — Fridays above all, with Tuesday folklore nights on some schedules. Check the specific date you want on the GetYourGuide calendar, since the dates on offer change through the year.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Plans change, and cancelling is easy here: refund in full up to a day out, no questions asked, and a handful of options even let you lock in a table before paying anything. Check GetYourGuide's checkout page for the exact policy tied to whichever option you pick.