Għanafest, the Malta Mediterranean Folk Music Festival, will be held between June 10 and 12 at 7 p.m. at the Argotti Gardens in Floriana.

The festival will promote local traditional folk-art through a varied programme that includes workshops on traditional instruments.

It will include Maltese folksong (għana), Persian music, Turkish folk-jazz fusion and music from Sicily.

The Big Band Brothers, Trania – a fusion world-beat trio featuring Walter Vella, Jason Fabri and Mark Attard – and songwriters David Azzopardi and The Greenfields will also feature in this year’s edition of Għanafest.

Three international bands from Sicily, Turkey and Iran have been invited. The music of Nakaira from Sicily incorporates influences from Sicilian and Greek traditions with a combination of instruments like zampogna, bouzouki, saz and oud.

The Swing a la Turc quartet features ŞSenol Filiz, who is one of the most respected masters of the ney, an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. The musical arrangements of Önder Focan portrays Turkish music within a folk-jazz context. The Navà ensemble will deliver a performance of Persian music from both the classical and folk traditions. The concert will also showcase a wide range of musical instruments.

Tickets for the festival, organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, will be sold at €3 and €7 for a three-day block ticket. Parking will be available at the Floriana Boy Scouts headquarters, right next to the venue.