Starting this Friday, Għaxaq will be practically transformed into one big music venue to host the 2012 edition of the Għaxaq Music Festival.
Organised by St Mary’s Band Club, this year the festival looks set to pull in even bigger crowds than before, thanks to a schedule of live music from top local and foreign bands and artists.
The festival will be held over five days, with the first three nights based in Għaxaq Square and the remaining two in the nearby Għaxaq grounds. The opening night of the festival will be a Serata ta’ Għana, featuring Malta’s top għannejja, among them Karmenu s-Superstar, his son Ronaldo and Żeppi l-Kelba. The three-hour show will start at 8.30 p.m. and is a must for all those with a taste for Maltese folk music.
On Saturday, DJ Ryan Spiteri will present a village square edition of his popular 1990s-themed Rewind parties. Supporting DJs will play warm-up sets from 9 p.m. onwards prior to Spiteri’s three-hour set.
Sunday night will carry a Maltin Biss theme, an evening dedicated entirely to Maltese bands, artists and dance companies.
The event is in aid of Għaxaq’s philanthropic movement, which takes care of town residents who may need medical treatment abroad.
On Monday night DJ Pierre Cordina will be warming up the crowd as the festival welcomes one of Malta’s top world music collective Tribali.
Fuelled by the positive response their recent album The Traveller has been getting, Tribali will deliver another of the performances they have become so well-known for at home and abroad. DJ Carl Bee will pick up after Tribali to keep the party going.
The last night will have a line-up of local acts setting the vibe for iconic UK band Smokie’s headlining performance.
Thanks to chart-topping hits like Living Next Door to Alice, Lay Back in the Arms of Someone and If You Think You Know How to Love Me and consistent tours in the UK and Europe, Smokie remains a popular band that appeals to various generations of fans.
The band’s Take a Minute world tour has so far taken Smokie to 19 countries since the album was released in 2010 and there are no signs of the tour slowing down any time soon.
Entrance to the festival is free but donations are encouraged to support the Puttinu Cares fund.
A limited number of VIP tickets at €25 (for both the Tribali and Smokie concerts) are available either by calling 7907 1234 or from St Mary Band Club (Għaxaq), Discount Depot (Tal-Barrani), Pit Stop Service station (Attard), Havana Offices (Paceville), J Micallef Service Station (Rabat) and Toyland (Mosta).