Calcidon Vella. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Decked with lights, the Argotti Gardens in Floriana will this weekend set the scene for heartfelt għana and old and new tunes from Spain, Croatia and Israel.

This year, the ever-growing Għanafest has a varied programme of foreign and local acts mainly revolving around the gypsy theme.

Among the participants will be the Barcelona Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra – or BGKO – which over the years brought Klezmer, Gypsy and Balkan music to all generations of Barcelona.

Maltese participants will also bring their own specific brand of contemporary folk rooted in tradition. From Mistura and Frank O’Neill on Friday night to Kantilena on Sunday night, the focus will be on the Maltese language and contemporary folk.

The qarċilla – the wedding parody which was revived for this year’s carnival – will make a return on Saturday evening.

Ramzailech. Photo: Ilia Bazarsky

Kantilena.

The festival, supported by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, will run between today and Sunday. Entry tickets will be sold at €3 or €7 for a three-day block ticket.

This year, the atmosphere is again expected to be friendly and relaxed. Local artisans will chat with visitors about their crafts and there will also be a children’s workshop on tberfil – the decorative painted lettering often found on the old buses.

Even the food was carefully picked. It will be about pastizzi, imqaret and all things traditionally Maltese.

www.maltafolkmusicfestival.org