The Festival Goes Back-to-Back: Riga to Malta
One Festival finishes on Sunday. The next one starts on Monday. The Festival Series is about to go back-to-back, with Riga followed immediately by Malta — and The Hendon Mob Championship set to be part of the action in St. Julian’s.
The Festival is about to enter one of the busiest stretches of its 2026 calendar.
From September 10–13, The Festival Weekend heads to Riga for the final Weekend event of the year. Then, with barely enough time to unpack, the Festival team heads south for The Festival Malta, running September 14–20 at Portomaso Casino in St. Julian’s.
Riga Brings the Weekend Concept Home
The Festival Weekend has been making its way across the Baltics throughout 2026, with stops in Vilnius and Tallinn already completed.
Now Riga gets its turn.
The September 10–13 event at Olympic Voodoo Casino represents the third and final Festival Weekend of 2026, bringing the Weekend concept to a close for the year.
The compact four-day schedule packs plenty into the weekend, with the €555 Mystery Bounty Main Event taking centre stage alongside PLO, progressive bounties, OmahaJack and the now-familiar Festival twists on Hold ’em.
There is also another chance to play the NLH 7-2 Estonia Special, complete with the INES rule — because The Festival wouldn’t be The Festival without finding another way to make Hold ’em a little more interesting.
For players looking for a quick Festival fix before heading onward, Riga offers exactly that.
And then comes Malta.
No Break: Straight to Malta
As soon as the final cards are dealt in Riga, the Festival crew will be heading directly to Malta for a full week of poker, casino action, mixed games and off-the-felt entertainment.
The Festival Malta runs September 14–20 at Portomaso Casino, marking the fourth consecutive year that the series has visited the popular St. Julian’s venue.
This is the bigger, longer Festival experience, with a packed schedule featuring Hold ’em, Omaha, mixed games, bounty formats and casino tournaments.
The headline events include the €550 NLH Main Event, the €550 T.O.R.S.E.S. Mixed Game Main Event, the NLH Mystery Bounty — and, of course, The Hendon Mob Championship.
The Hendon Mob Championship Kicks Things Off
The €250 The Hendon Mob Championship will be one of the first major poker events on the Malta schedule, with Day 1A on Sunday, September 13, followed by Day 1B on Monday and a turbo Day 1C on Tuesday. Day 2 follows on Wednesday.
The THMC has become a regular fixture at The Festival, with the partnership continuing throughout 2026. After appearances in Bratislava and Rozvadov earlier in the year, Malta represents another chance for players to claim a THMC title and add more cash to their Hendon Mob profile.
And this time, there is an extra reason to follow the action.
The THMC Final Table Will Be Live!
The THMC Main Event final table in Malta will be live-streamed.
That means poker fans who can’t make it to Portomaso can follow the final stages of the Championship from wherever they are.
For the players reaching the final table, it also means the biggest moments of the tournament will be played out in front of a live audience.
2026 THMC Winners to be Awarded South African Millions Package
The Hendon Mob and our South African partners are offering all 2026 THMC Main Event winners a package to the THMC SA Millions, taking place later this year.
The SA Poker Open and THMC SA Millions 2026 package is worth approximately €2,500. It includes seven nights of accommodation, transfers to the venue, a €500 travel allowance, and a THMC SA Millions ticket worth R9,000.
One Week. Two Festivals. Plenty of Poker.
The timing makes this back-to-back run particularly appealing for travelling players.
Start in Riga, experience the final Festival Weekend of the year, then head straight to Malta for seven days of the full Festival experience.
In Malta, the schedule gets progressively busier, with the THMC and T.O.R.S.E.S. getting things underway before the €550 Main Event, High Rollers, Mystery Bounty, mixed games and a huge selection of side events take over Portomaso.
And, as always, The Festival is about more than poker. Malta brings the sunshine, rooftop pool parties, food and drink, hospitality events and the relaxed atmosphere that has made the destination such a popular part of the Festival calendar.
The message is simple: Riga first. Malta immediately after.
Two events. Two destinations. One very busy stretch of the Festival calendar.
The Festival Weekend Riga: September 10–13
The Festival Malta: September 14–20
The Hendon Mob Championship: September 13–16
Venue: Olympic Voodoo Casino, Riga / Portomaso Casino, St. Julian’s
The Festival is going back-to-back. Are you?
