The Malta Arts Festival will be held in Valletta between 28 July and 20 August, said Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech yesterday.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that the Malta Arts Festival, which is organised by the Malta Council for Arts and Culture, has become part of the national activities calendar and this year will be held in the ruins of the Opera House and Freedom Square.

Some 30 activities, ranging from theatre, music, dance, recitals and concerts to art exhibitions and street entertainment in Valletta, are being organised.

Every Friday night, the Valletta Alive Foundation and the Malta Arts Council will be collaborating to put on BoV Street Alive, the intention of which is to present other complementary street activities, including music, dance, tours and entertainment for children.

Museums will be extending their opening hours for the duration of the festival, and restaurants will stay open longer. Dr Zammit Dimech said that it gave him great satisfaction to know that the festival has been brought even closer to the people, with activities in the open air and right at City Gate, which has thousands of people passing through it every day.

He pointed out that the festival was spreading, now reaching the Valletta and Vittoriosa waterfronts, and added that this was an important development because it would reach a wider audience. This would, he said, hopefully translate into a greater appreciation of art, talent, music and culture and should also serve to stimulate people’s interest in cultural heritage.

Dr Zammit said that culture was an important component in attracting tourism and everyone needed to do their bit to help present a better cultural heritage product to tourists. He said that the three-week festival will help people visiting Malta to understand our culture better and, in a way, get to know the people of Malta better.