Festivals Malta has unveiled its programme of events for this summer’s cultural calendar, with four summer festivals taking place between June and July – RITMU, formally known as Ghanafest, The Malta International Arts Festival, The Malta Jazz Festival, and the recently launched Dance Festival Malta.
Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici stated that, “We all have a crucial role to partake in promoting and protecting our national cultural heritage. The activities listed in this programme are clear proof of this”.
“The main aim is to nurture awareness and appreciation of the Maltese identity and culture in people’s lives, whilst embracing our cultural values. Not only does this programme contain numerous events whereby the public can enjoy and take part in various activities, but it will also offer the opportunity for both local and international artists to showcase their talents, as well as give an economic boost to the country”, said the minister.
Festivals Malta CEO Annabelle Stivala explained that it has been an eventful year for Festivals Malta so far, with extremely rewarding results, and a very exciting cultural programme for the summer months. “After two years of abridged programmes and virtual events, we are really looking forward to producing our festivals in their original format. It has been a busy year for Festivals Malta already, and we hope that through our summer events, we keep providing opportunities for our artists as well as high-level events for our audiences”, said Ms Stivala.
RITMU, under the artistic direction of Tiziana Calleja, will kickstart the summer calendar of events on the 10th and 11th of June, with a blend of Maltese culture, food, and music, including Ghana, Kantera, Albaluna, Mimmo Cavallaro, and much more. The Malta International Arts Festival happening between the 18th June and 3rd of July, spearheaded by artistic director Ruben Zahra, will include a multidisciplinary programme of arts featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Joseph Galea, Carolina Eyck, Rootless Root, Herve Koubi and more. Between the 11th and 16th of July, artistic director Sandro Zerafa will present the Malta Jazz Festival with an eclectic line up featuring Joel Ross ‘Good Vibes’, Richard Bona & Alfredo Rodriguez, John Scofield’s ‘Yankee Go Home’, Danny Grissett, and much more. Dance Festival Malta closes off the season between 28th and 31st July, under the artistic direction of Francesca Tranter – a four-day festival of intensive workshops and performances dedicated to dance.
Tickets will be out soon. For more information on our summer festivals visit www.festivals.mt.
Source: Office of the Prime Minister