Valletta’s year as European Capital of Culture continues with more unmissable events – here’s some of the best for you to experience this February.
The Snake Show
2nd-10th February – 188B St Lucy Street, Valletta
Fragmenta Malta brings ‘The Snake Show’ exhibition, which tells the story of the changing perception of snakes throughout history. Exploring the snake’s symbolism of wisdom, fertility, life, and the effect on the snake’s image with the advent of Christianity, contemporary artists and collected research materials guide visitors through a variety of snake-related works.
The Other Europeans
3rd February – St Agatha’s Auditorium, Rabat
A unique multi-cultural experience, 14 leading klezmer (Yiddish) and lautari (Roma) musicians unite in a performance of deeply powerful music. Featuring distinguished soloists from seven countries, The Other Europeans is an award-winning supergroup that seeks to build new cultural relationships through music. They will be joined in their performance by local group The Hot Club of Valletta.
Carnival
9th – 13th February – Valletta
One of Malta’s oldest traditional festivities, Carnival is an annual event first introduced by the Knights of St John in the 1500s. Including a week of merrymaking, feasting, a colourful parade of richly-decorated floats and fancy-dress costumes, it is an especially vibrant and fun way to experience capital city Valletta.
Carmen Fantasy
9th February – Teatru Manoel, Valletta
Malta Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal double bass player Gjorgji Cincievski will be performing Stuart Sankey’s Carmen Fantasy, inspired by Bizet’s famous opera. The performance will be the centrepiece of a concert by the MPO which will also feature Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye.
Rockquiem
17th February – St Agatha’s Auditorium, Rabat
Alongside a rock back, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will perform ‘Rockquiem’, a rock reimagining of Mozart’s famous Requiem Mass that was left unfinished at the time of his death. The concert aims to bridge the gap between classical music and more contemporary rock themes.
Icon Island – A live battle of pictures and sounds
17th February – Salesians’ Theatre, Sliema
‘Icon Island’ is a project by Austrian filmmaker Virgil Widrich, and is a collage of visuals connected to islands which may have alternative societies or different mindsets. Featuring visuals of Malta as well as local cinematic history, the projections will be accompanied by an improvised electronic performance by Maltese artist Sonitus Eco.
The Biggest Crochet Blanket for Charity
17th February – Pjazza San Gorg, Valletta
Sharing the title of European Capital of Culture for 2018 with Valletta is the town of Leeuwarden in The Netherlands. That community has organised this unique project, in which five football pitches in Leeuwarden will be covered with crochet blankets handmade with woollen threads received from around the world, including from Malta. Aiming to be included in the Guinness Book of Records, the project will also help those in need, as after it finishes the blankets will be distributed amongst charitable organisations in their countries of origin.
Mokadelic perform Gomorrah
23rd – 24th February – Valletta Campus Theatre, Old University Building, Valletta
Experimental Italian band Mokadelic will transform the MITP ‘black box’ theatre with a mix of ambient, post-rock and neo-psychedelic sounds, in a set that also includes their haunting score for the hit television series, ‘Gomorrah’. Opening for Mokadelic will be Maltese band Eyes to Argus, with dreamy soundscapes inspired by an eclectic range of influences.
Años Luz – Mqabba
24th-25th February – Zebbug
Spanish shadow theatre company Luz Micro y Punto performs ‘Años Luz’, a visually stunning masterpiece that takes audiences on a journey of musical discovery. With a story following a composer musing over her next score, both traditional and contemporary shadow theatre techniques will bring to life an inimitable world of music and colour. Luz Micro y Punto will also share their shadow puppetry technique in an intensive workshop for aspiring and established artists alike.
For more info, be sure to visit the official Valletta 2018 website!
