For the third year running, young lovers of music hoping to make it to the big time will have the opportunity of showcasing their talent before an international jury, as well as the public, at the third edition of the Golden Cross International Singing Festival.

The event, which is becoming increasingly popular among music hopefuls and music-lovers, will be held between 25 and 28 July.

The festival will be held at the La Grotta complex in Gozo.

This time, the festival has included a category for household names in the main contest, which is open to singers aged between 16 and 35. The junior category, which the festival is renowned for, is open to young singers aged between six and 15.

The organisers have also secured the participation of renowned international singers. Countries represented in this year’s edition are: England, Bulgaria, Malta, Italy, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania, Libya, Serbia and Montenegro and Belarus – 50 singers in all. Fabrizio Faniello and the winner of the junior Eurovision 2005, Ksenia Sitnik from Belarus, will be among the special guests.