Vibrant installations, magical balloons and an architectural projection on the façade of the Auberge de Castille will colour Malta’s capital on October 5 when the eighth edition of Notte Bianca gets under way.
Organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the event will feature more than 1,000 local participants in over 100 activities ranging from street and performing arts to visual arts and new media, from live music to literature, food and fairs.
Addressing a sizeable audience at yesterday’s press conference, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture Jose Herrera said culture “will no longer be the Cinderella of other ministries” and will be given its due importance.
The festival, which is expected to draw some 60,000 people to the capital, will help breathe life into the city.
He added that the Government will be working on regenerating business in Valletta, which has been dwindling during the past few years.
Culture will no longer be the Cinderella of other ministries
V-18 foundation chairman Jason Micallef explained that Notte Bianca marked the beginning of a string of exciting cultural events which will culminate in 2018 and illustrate how the nation can stand united in its diversity.
Artistic director Sean Buhagiar said this year’s edition of Notte Bianca will feature a number of curated music stages where a variety of bands will be playing original music grouped according to genre.
Literature will also feature in the programme of events, with activities celebrating playwright Francis Ebejer’s works as well as poet Rużar Briffa’s verse, which will be set to contemporary dance with live music.
For the first time this year, Notte Bianca will officially open at 6pm, complete with coloured smoke and In Guardia troops firing cannons from all around the capital city.
A closing breakfast at 2am at the Casino Maltese will bring the night to an end.
The programme will be broadly split into two: the main programme, which includes festival commissions and projects, and Atmosfera, a programme of ancillary events inspired by the energy running through the capital on the night.
A Notte Bianca mobile app will also help users find their way around and keep an eye on their favourite events.
Special ferry from Gozo for first time
For the first time this year, Gozo Channel will provide a special service to Valletta. The ferry will depart from Mġarr, Gozo, at 6.30pm to drop people off at Valletta by the Upper Barrakka lift, which will be free of charge from 3pm onwards and will run until 2am.
The ferry will leave for Mġarr at 12.30am.
Ferry boats will also be running on a regular basis from Sliema and Vittoriosa to Valletta and back till late.
Arriva will be operating a special bus service for Notte Bianca with tickets priced at €3. The ticket will also be valid for all day-time buses on the same day. The special service will be operating from Valletta to all localities around the island from 11pm until 2.30am.
The entire city will be closed to traffic at 5pm.
Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli urged people to keep Valletta clean by making use of a number of bins which will be dotting the city.