The Festival Malta 2025: How to Qualify via iPoker and Win Big at Portomaso Casino


- Fact Checked by: PokerListings
- Last updated on: July 11, 2025 · 4 minutes to read
The Festival Series returns this September, bringing its lively poker-meets-vacation concept to Malta once again. From September 15–21, 2025, the Portomaso Casino in St. Julian’s will host a week of action-packed poker, daily hospitality events, and the kind of friendly atmosphere that defines The Festival brand.
And thanks to the iPoker Network, players across Europe can win their way to Malta through one of the most extensive online satellite campaigns of the year.
The Festival Series Malta 2025
At the heart of the schedule is the €550 Main Event, featuring five Day 1 flights from September 16 to 19. Players can choose between regular and turbo flight formats. With the popular surrender mode in place, anyone qualifying early can opt to forfeit their stack and try again in another Day 1 to bag a bigger one. Only the best stack progresses to Day 2 on September 20, with the final day of play set for September 21.

To help players of all bankroll levels get involved, iPoker is offering two qualifying paths: one for full €1,850 packages and another for €550 seat-only entries. The full packages include a Main Event seat, six nights of hotel accommodation, €250 in spending money, daily hospitality activities of The Festival, and breakfast for two at the hotel. Hotels in the package include The Onyx Hotel, JL Hotel, G Hotel by JL, and The Londoner Hotel.
How To Qualify Online for The Festival Series with iPoker
Package Qualifiers
The structure of the full-package qualifiers is designed to be accessible, they will kick off on Monday July 14. Starting with freerolls, players can progress through a step system that includes:
- €0.25 Step 1 tournaments, leading to €3 Step 2 events.
- Step 2 qualifiers advance to €15 Step 3 rounds.
- Step 3 players compete in the €100 Finals, where full packages are awarded.
The €100 package qualifiers run daily, but the Sunday editions are the ones to watch. Here’s what’s guaranteed:
Date | Day | Start Time (CEST) | Tournament Name |
20/07/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 3x€1,850 |
27/07/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 4x€1,850 |
03/08/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 5x€1,850 |
10/08/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 5x€1,850 |
17/08/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 6x€1,850 |
24/08/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 6x€1,850 |
31/08/2025 | Sunday | 20:00 | The Festival Malta 7x€1,850 |
Altogether, 36 full packages will be guaranteed throughout the campaign, totalling €66,600 in value.
Seat Only Qualifiers
For players focused solely on poker, the seat-only path starts at €0.50 (Step 1), progresses to €5 (Step 2), and culminates in €50 Seat Finals. These take place twice weekly — every Tuesday and Friday at 20:30 CEST — with a total of 28 Main Event seats up for grabs, equal to €15,400 in guaranteed prize pools.
It all will kick off at July 15, Tuesday. A special Mega Qualifier on September 8 will award at least 8 Main Event seats, making it a must-play for those still chasing a seat.
Date | Day | Start Time (CEST) | Tournament Name |
18/07/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
22/07/2025 | Tuesday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|1x €550 Seat |
25/07/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
29/07/2025 | Tuesday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|1x €550 Seat |
01/08/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
05/08/2025 | Tuesday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|1x €550 Seat |
08/08/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
12/08/2025 | Tuesday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|1x €550 Seat |
15/08/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
19/08/2025 | Tuesday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|1x €550 Seat |
22/08/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
26/08/2025 | Tuesday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|1x €550 Seat |
29/08/2025 | Friday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|2x €550 Seat |
Mega Qualifier
Date | Day | Start Time (CEST) | Tournament Name |
08/09/2025 | Monday | 20:30 | The Festival|SEAT|8x €550 MEGA |
More Information
Another unique aspect of the promotion is the Mission to Malta. From July 14 to August 31, players who generate €1,000 in rake on qualifying sites can earn a €100 tournament ticket, granting direct access to the final step in the package path.
This mission must be opted into manually and can be completed only once. It’s a great option for volume players looking to parlay their grind into a chance at a dream poker trip.
RedStar Poker in the Mix
A key operator in this promotion is RedStar Poker, one of the more prominent skins on the iPoker Network. RedStar supports the full range of step qualifiers, from micro-stakes to the €100 full-package finals, and offers soft fields and consistent traffic.
It’s also part of the Mission to Malta campaign, making it an ideal platform to secure their ticket to the live tables at Portomaso Casino.
All iPoker Network Operators
The full iPoker Network is lined up behind this campaign. The following brands are participating and offering qualifiers to The Festival Malta 2025: Bet365, Betfair, Betfred, Arcticbet.com, Betsafe, Betsmith, Betsolid, Betsson, Bifortuna.cz, Boylepokersports, Champion Poker, Coolbet, Guts.com, Hollandcasino, Inbet, Klondaika, Meridianbet, Netbet, Nordicbet, Paddypowerpoker, Paf, RedStar, Skypoker, Svenskaspel, and Swisscasino.


Each of these platforms may vary slightly in terms of promotion visibility and schedule, but all are offering access to the same high-value qualifiers. Players should note a few important rules: you may only win one full prize package, but multiple seat-only entries are allowed.
Malta Calling!
The Festival Series 2025 in Malta will be held in September, which means that the weather will be sunny, boiling, and full of great atmosphere! The Festival Series is not just a live poker event; it offers players, besides 50+ hold’em and mixed game tournaments, a complete holiday.
Make sure to check out these satellites, because having one of these full packages will guarantee you being part of the Hospitality Events in Malta.


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