Valletta streets come alive

The first edition of BOV Streets Alive kicks off this evening and will see the streets of the capital city, Valletta, come to life with a varied programme of art, culture and music and with shops and museums remaining open till late.

This is the first initiative of its kind being taken by the Valletta Alive Foundation and Bank of Valletta with the objective of giving the city its due and proper place as an ideal location for evening leisure, as a cultural hub, as an inspirational city, and as a historic place wherein European history was forged.

I consider BOV Streets Alive as building on the efforts taken over the past years by various stakeholders to regenerate Valletta in the evenings. A unique characteristic of this initiative is the synergy it seeks to create between the arts, leisure and business activities - a major achievement that was possible thanks to the untiring efforts and full commitment of the Valletta Alive Foundation.

This foundation, which was set-up recently as a voluntary organisation that strives to achieve the full cultural, social and economic potential of Valletta, is run by a board of governors representing the key stakeholders of the city. These include the Valletta local council, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU, the Malta Tourism Authority, the Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, the Valletta Rehabilitation Project and the Republic and Merchants Street business community associations.

Clearly, it would not have been possible to be where we are today had the foundation not managed to create an excellent working relationship between these stakeholders. This is by no means an easy task and the Valletta Alive Foundation ought to be congratulated and encouraged to take more initiatives in this direction.

On our part, we share the objectives of the Valletta Alive Foundation aimed at regenerating the capital city in the evenings. The bank has supported the foundation since inception and, notwithstanding the fact that this is the first edition of the BOV Streets Alive initiative, we have believed in this project from the very start.

We are putting our full weight behind the organisers to make it a success. In this regard, we are not merely sponsoring the events financially. As from this evening, and for these four consecutive Friday evenings, we will also be present on the streets of Valletta supporting the events. We are launching, as from today, a specific promotion to support business activity thus fully participating in the concerted effort to revitalise Valletta come the evening.

Everyone is invited to come to Valletta this evening and every Friday up to August 18 and appreciate all the diversity the capital city has to offer in a relaxed and pleasant summer environment. There will be something for everyone - ranging from street musicians to live bands, spontaneous painting sessions by Maltese artists, children's shows, classic car displays, a village band and even an open air table tennis tournament! Valletta walkabouts will be organised and museums will stay open late. Late shopping, of course, will also be an important feature with participating shops staying open till 10.30 p.m. Some outlets have even prepared special discounts and other offers to make BOV Streets Alive a truly complete experience!

The stage has been set. Now it is up to the people to bring alive the streets of Valletta.

Mr Galea is head of PR and communication at Bank of Valletta.