Extravaganza of culture, food... washing lines for Iljieli Melleħin

Mellieħa will come alive next weekend for Iljieli Melleħin, a three-day extravaganza of arts, entertainment, sports and good food.

An initiative by village mayor Robert Cutajar, the events being held between Friday and Sunday aim to provide alternative means of entertainment for both locals and tourists.

The entertainment areas will turn into pedestrian, car-free zones for three evenings. Five stages will be erected: two in Parish Square, another two in front of the Our Lady of Mellieħa Sanctuary and one in Ġorġ Borg Olivier Street. Three choirs will be adding some melody to the village, while Frenzy Mono, Claudia Faniello and the popular group New Cuorey will perform.

A temporary art exhibition is being set-up in an abandoned residence, while another by the Art Club 2000 members will be held in the courtyard of the Sanctuary of Our Lady.

Other exhibitions will be held inside and outside several establishments in Ġorġ Borg Olivier Street.

The visual arts are also being represented with a conceptual installation by Lewis Zammit, entitled In-Naxra: Il-Mixja tal-Bniedem (Hanging out a lifetime).

Mr Zammit has decided to utilise the road in which he lives - Old Mill Street -a steep and elevated road only accessible on foot - to hang out dozens of clothes across 20 to 25 washing lines. The items of clothing will span five different phases in life: infancy, childhood, youth, adulthood and old age.

Contemporary culture is not the only aspect to take centre stage during this weekend. In fact, a number of cultural sites will be open to the public until the early hours and guided tours will also be available. These include: It-Torri l-Aħmar, Selmun Palace, The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa and the Bird Sanctuary.

During the day visitors can follow heritage trails around Mellieħa and Manikata, while water enthusiasts can indulge in diving and canoeing. Street football, netball and basketball will also be taking place in the main square.

Through a twinning agreement with Cavriglia in Italy and Adenau in Germany, Mellieħa council will also be providing typical food, wine and delicatessen for those visiting the Iljieli Melleħin.

The 13 hotels in the Mellieħa area are also making their chefs available for food-tasting sessions. And local council will cater for younger visitors by providing a fully supervised children's area complete with animators and donkey-rides.

The activities start at 6.30 p.m. on each of the three days.