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A worker stands on a partially submerged excavator in a flooded foundation pit Photo: Times of Malta
Breaking 6 June 2026 🕑 4 min

Sliema Unveils Spectacular New Seafront Water Feature

A visionary hotel development has gifted the promenade an immersive aquatic experience, and the authorities simply cannot cope with how much fun everyone is having.

STOP EVERYTHING. Sliema has a water feature.

In a move that can only be described as visionary, a multi-storey hotel development at the bottom of one of Sliema’s most charming streets has begun generously releasing seawater directly onto the seafront: free of charge, around the clock, for everyone.

No booking. No entry fee. No warning.

An attraction that comes to YOU

Most water parks make you travel to them. Not this one. Thanks to two thoughtfully positioned pipes, the experience flows straight onto the public road and pools generously across it for your enjoyment. “People sometimes can’t even cross the street,” beamed one resident, visibly overwhelmed, and also unable to cross the street.

A flooded seafront square, brown water covering the road around parked cars and a scooter
The seafront's newest water feature spills generously across the promenade, the bus lane and three parking bays, ensuring no visitor is ever more than one puddle from the experience.

Below sea level, by design

In a breathtaking engineering flex, the foundations have been excavated to below sea level: an ambition so bold that the sea itself keeps rushing in to be part of it. Pumps run through the night to manage the sea’s enthusiasm. When one pump recently took a well-earned break, the site simply became the sea. Magnificent.

Water streaming down a narrow scaffolded alley, a lone figure standing in the flow
Down in the heritage quarter, the immersive water-walk runs day and night, fed from a source somewhere above the scaffolding that everyone has agreed not to ask about.

Aquatic excavation: a world first

Eyewitnesses report a digger operating while partially submerged, captained by a worker balanced heroically on top: no helmet, no hi-vis, no fear. A second worker was seen, and we cannot stress this enough, swimming. This is not a construction site. This is performance art.

The authorities are, frankly, jealous

Unable to handle the sheer joy, safety inspectors issued a “stop-work order”: bureaucrat-speak for “this is too much fun.” Environmental officials have been dispatched to determine whether the sea has been contaminated, or whether the sea is simply thrilled to have finally been invited inside.

Plan your visit

The water feature is open now, intermittently, depending on the mood of the pumps. Bring a towel. Bring armbands. Bring a sense of wonder, and possibly a dinghy. The residents bailing out their ground floors, we are assured, are thrilled.

Sliema: beautiful once. Aquatic now.

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