A grand celebration in Valletta will bring to a close Valletta’s tenure as a European capital of culture.

As with a traditional festa, Valletta 2018’s closing spectacle on Saturday is all about celebrating community, life and culture while forging new friendships.

Various activities will be taking place across the capital.

The main stage on St George’s Square comes to life from 6.30pm with a lively mix of music, live acts and light projections that invite everyone to see out the European Capital of Culture year together. It will be hosted by Svetlana Muscat and Mireille Bonello, with music by DJ NeoX.

At 7.15pm there will be From Malta with Love, a contemporary performance by Moveo Dance Company that explores various elements of Maltese culture through the eyes of four distinct characters.

Valletta passes the European Capital of Culture 2019 title on to the cities of  Matera and Plovdiv, at 8pm. The Valletta 2018 chorus will present a snippet from their opening cere­mony performance with some surprises at 8.15pm.

There will also be a colourful street performance at the heart of Valletta that is guaranteed to charm the young and the young at heart, featuring the Big Dancers’ signature giant marionettes.

Local mainstay Tribali will create a kaleidoscopic open-genre musical world at the heart of Valletta, thanks to their unique and eclectic sound, from 9pm

At 10.30pm singer/songwriter Ozzy Lino and the fresh and funky sounds of the Brass House Unit will be bringing good vibes to visitors to Valletta, thanks to a line-up of dynamic, foot tapping and sing-along tunes.

A series of other activities will take place across Valletta throughout the day.

Look out for live painting by multidisciplinary artists, who will be offering their own take on different aspects of Valletta 2018 and an artistic rendering of the passage to the next European Capital of Culture, at various sites across the city starting at 9am.

An exhibition which emerged for a collaborative international programme of artists’ residencies coordinated by Valletta 2018 and Fondazzjoni Kreattivitá – Not Just the City – will be on at Spazju Kreattiv from 10am onwards.

MUŻA, at Auberge D’Italie, opens its doors at 10am, as does Sempre Viva, at the courtyard of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion.

Ballroom, a contemporary dance and performing arts dialogue will take place at Is-Suq at 6pm. A collaborative performance by ŻfinMalta and Valletta 2018, it will offer a rich ballroom experience and is inspired by outreach projects Jump and Dance4All.

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