Notte Bianca: ‘More visitors but less crowded’

Valletta looked its very best on Saturday night when the capital dressed up to welcome an estimated 50,000 visitors and over, who wanted to experience the city in its majestic form.

The chairman of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, Adrian Mamo, said calculating the precise number of people who visited Notte Bianca was near to impossible and the 50,000 figure was an approximation based on guess work.

One had to keep in mind that, every day, some 40,000 people went through Valletta, he said.

“Several people told me they felt that, this year, there were more people than previous years but that they were better spread out,” Mr Mamo said.

Judging from the length of queues, he said, the most popular event seemed to be visits to Castille, St John’s Co-Cathedral and the President’s Palace.

“Some people queued for over half an hour. It was clear that people took the opportunity to visit these places they would otherwise not get to view,” he said.

Mr Mamo said that work to set up lighting and sound for the evening, which hosted 170 activities, started on Friday afternoon after the court gave the go-ahead.

Two companies that were not granted the lighting and sound contracts for Notte Bianca had asked the court to stop the contracts from being issued pending their appeal. However the court ruled against the company and the work was allowed to carry on.

The court ruling was given on Friday after which contractors worked round the clock to ensure that Valletta was fully equipped for Notte Bianca which kicked off on Saturday at 6 p.m.

As visitors flowed into the capital, many of them dressed in white as requested, they filled bars, restaurants and shops which stayed open throughout the night.

The city’s cultural gems were also open to the public, most hosting particular activities, including music, dance and drama in all the main squares.

While walking down the streets, fully lit and decorated with festive banners, one could hear Maltese bands, choirs and concerts while sampling food from the different stalls.

People also had the chance to travel back in time and watch never-seen before footage of Malta during the war.