About 2,000 tourists are flying in for the Valletta International Baroque Festival which has become a popular event on the island’s culture calendar, according to festival artistic director Kenneth Zammit Tabona.

Addressing a press conference at the beautifully restored 17th century St Catherine’s Church in Valletta, Mr Zammit Tabone said the two-week extravaganza would be bigger than ever. “There is no question that this event has gained recognition as being of high calibre while also being very affordable,” he said.

The festival, he added, promoted the baroque identity of the capital, which would be showcased in the two-week event.

The venues include the painted salon of the Museum of Archaeology, the former Auberge de France, the Presidential Palace, the Manoel Theatre and several of Valletta’s baroque churches. Last year more than 6,000 people attended the plethora of events.

The festival will feature concertos by soloists Marco Sollini and Salvatore Barbatano at the piano, playing with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under Michael Laus’s baton.

Culture Parliamentary Secretary José Herrera, who also addressed the press conference, said the festival celebrated Valletta’s Baroque patrimony, opening it up for the public.

The festival will kick off on Friday with the staging of Bach’s Messiah by the acclaimed Goldberg Ensemble.

Other productions include life-sized marionettes in a world premier of the parody of Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie.