Notte Bianca.

On whatever level one looks at it, it was a success. On Saturday night in particular, the capital city was heaving with people enjoying themselves, spending money and enjoying the hidden joys of Valletta.

There were plenty of activities going on – traditional folk-singing, games, competitions, street theatre, music, a children’s corner and more. The list goes on and on. It was also fantastic to see tables and chairs out on the streets as restaurants and bars took advantage of the balmy weather – which luckily held till about 3.30am – to entice

customers to give them their custom. It was lovely seeing parents taking their children into museums and enabling them to learn a bit more about our history.

But there were a few hiccups. The first would have to be that, surely, no one expected that great influx of people? There were cars parked all the way down in Msida – and traffic jams right up to the roundabout at Tal-Qroqq – and on walking into Valletta, you could see a cloud of car exhaust hovering around. It seems that people still distrust the public transport system, although a special schedule had been organised for the night. Or better yet, the park and ride system should have been up and

running.

The police who were on duty did a good job in controlling the traffic, but it was a bit too much to ask them to try and route three-quarters of Malta around the Valletta peninsula. We are by no means saying it is bad that so many people went, but with a little bit more thought, we are sure that the event will be much better organised the next time round. The presence of many thousands of people must have surprised the organisers too.

One other matter that should have been seen to was the availability of programmes of the events that were taking place. Some people had them, but the majority did not, and this proves that nobody expected such a massive turn-out.

Another idea would be to have the event spaced out over a number of weekends – if anything, to help Valletta regain the night life it has lost over the years. Most of those who went will say that it was a fantastic night out, but the problems were apparent when restaurants started turning people away because they had no food left at 9.30pm. Others simply did not have any seating space, while others still were turning away customers because their staff were just too tired and simply could not cope.

It would also give people the possibility of visiting all the areas of entertainment that were set up. There was so much to do on just one night and, frankly, it was not humanly possible to do everything in 12 hours.

But this is where we should take stock of the situation. Yes, museums and palazzos, and even the magnificent Castille, were open to the public, apart from other activities that were held. Yet, those (unfortunately few) people who visit Valletta on a regular basis will tell you that, on the whole, the atmosphere was not that different – it was simply a well-advertised night of events that attracted so many thousands because there is a thirst for activity. Or at least a thirst for something different.

Valletta should not need so much pomp and fanfare to get it going on at night. It is a beautiful place. It’s not dangerous and it is just so beautiful to explore.

The secret to re-vamping Valletta is simply getting people to go there. The attractions are there, as are the amenities. Perhaps one more measure that would really help, and yes, it is in the pipeline, is to have pedestrian zones that would give a bigger lift to the entertainment sector.

And let us have more “white nights”.