BOV Streets Alive cut down to three weeks

BOV Streets Alive is back for the third consecutive year, kicking off on Friday for three Fridays in a row offering artistic, cultural and fun events for the family in the streets of Valletta.

According to the programme, launched by Bank of Valletta and the Valletta Alive Foundation, the events start at 7 p.m., until late, with the highlight at 9 p.m.

This year's events are being concentrated in the areas around City Gate, Republic Street and Merchants Street and the roads between them, foundation president Alfred Zahra said.

Last year, the event was spread over six Fridays but organisers said the reason it was cut down to three was because they were experimenting to find the ideal duration for the activities. The first year, the Streets Alive was spread over four evenings but it was thought that three would be the winning formula for the upcoming events.

Another novelty was the "squashing" of activities into one area to have a concentration of events.

The aim of BOV Streets Alive is to promote Valletta as the ideal location for evening leisure, Mr Zahra explained. It is an example of how the foundation lives up to its objective of promoting public awareness on the historical, cultural, social, economic and commercial importance of Valletta.

What started as an experiment three years ago has evolved into an annual, popular programme that draws crowds to Valletta and contributes towards bringing the capital city to life in the evenings," BOV CEO Tonio Depasquale said.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco, said the benefits of BOV Streets Alive, held in the peak season, went beyond mere entertainment, helping to raise more awareness about Malta's artistic heritage while generating economic activity within the city walls.

The highlight of the first evening on Friday is Paul Abela's Big Band, with their repertoire of Golden Melodies at Great Siege Square, which will also be the stage for Show Biz High by the Batista Leisure Group and displays by the Police Silent Drill and the Malta Police Band at Palace Square.

Freedom Square will be the stage for the Rainbow duo musicians, an Old Motors Club display and stalls selling food and drink. The Għaxaq Folk & Pop Ensemble will perform in Republic Street where children's attractions and animation would be found.

A display by the Mini Owners Club and Ford Classics, live entertainment and a performance by YMCA Unplugged will be held in Merchants Street where wine and food will be available. Milonga by Tango Malta will be staged at St John's Square, with Live Jazz at Bridge Bar in East Street.

Auberge D'Italie will host an exhibition of sculptures by David and Sue Mifsud and another by the Malta Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. The Union Brass Quintet will also be performing there.

An exhibition of the restoration projects in Valletta by the Valletta Rehabilitation Project will be mounted at St Catherine d'Italie church.

For the event, restaurants will be set up for alfresco dining in the capital's streets and squares.

All BOV Streets Alive events are free of charge and a complete programme of events can be downloaded from the BOV website at www.bov.com.