The much awaited celebration of Maltese music and beer, the Farsons Beer Festival has returned for the summer and promises to be better than ever.

The festival was launched during a press conference held at Nove restaurant in St Julian’s yesterday afternoon. This year’s festival is taking place between 24 July and 2 August at Ta’ Qali national park.

The festival will consist of over 50 live performances on the main and the rock stage, thus ensuring that this year’s festival will definitely be enjoyed by all those present.

Ivan Filletti, Farsons field marketing manager and popular performer himself, said, “This year we will be presenting a strong repertoire of live music from commercial and mainstream music to classic and alternative rock.”

The main stage will be opened by favourite local band Wintermoods and will feature other major artistes and bands such as Ira Losco and Tribali.

Other artistes to perform on this stage include Klinsmann, Joe Cutajar, Cash band, Miriam Christine, William Mangion and Salt.

For those who enjoy a good comedy, Zoo will be treating audiences to a full-scale comedy performance as well as two short sketches on separate nights.

On the rock stage in the world beers area, different rock genres will be presented from alternative numbers by bands such as Explicit and Scream Daisy to raunchier tunes from Rising Sunset, Eve Ransom and BNI.

“In an attempt to encourage different musical genres, this year will also feature a heavy metal night with Forsaken headlining the Rock Stage. Another inimitable performance by Fakawi featuring Teletubi will be closing down this stage on the last night, continued Mr Filletti.

“Since its first event in 1981, the Farsons Great Beer Festival has grown into a much awaited event which the public looks forward to year after year. Since 1928, Farsons has been dedicated towards producing some of the best award-winning brews and today, is proud to present an extensive and highly respected brand portfolio,” said Farsons chief marketing officer, Ray Grech.

Sponsored by Vodafone, Peugeot and Banif bank, the festival attracts locals and foreigners alike, and is known to celebrate the art of traditional brewing and beer culture, whilst being a musical showcase for some of Malta’s thriving and upcoming artistes and performers.

Adults who appreciate a cold pint will enjoy sampling a variety of local brands from Cisk lager and the low in carbohydrates Cisk Excel to classic brews such as Hopleaf and Blue Label, which have been brewed with passion since 1928.

A number of international beers will also be available including Cisk Export, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Guinness, Kilkenny, John Smiths, Beck’s and Corona. Following previous years’ success, Cisk XS and Farsons Strong Ale, which are brewed exclusively for export, will also be available at this year’s festival.

A new concept introduced this year is the seated dining area, which will be located at the arched entrance of the park and catered for by Island Caterers. The restaurant will serve mixed grills and barbecued food.

An attraction sponsored by Vodafone will be a replica of Formula1 McLaren Mercedes car driven by Lewis Hamilton. While fans can take pictures with it, they can also participate in a tyre changing competition. The person who changes the car’s tyre fastest will win Vodafone prizes.

Those who collect the official festival mug will be able to purchase this year’s edition at any of the bars. The mug will also be available at the souvenir stall, where one will also be able to purchase merchandise from their favourite brands.

More information can be accessed on www.farsons.com/

beerfestival.