Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government Owen Bonnici has launched this year’s edition of the Beland Music Festival, happening in iż-Żejtun.

“As a Government we are committed to further increase accessibility to culture and the arts, and in this case, this is being done thanks to the Culture Partnership Agreement which the Beland Music Festival benefits from. This is a three year partnership with Arts Council Malta, which aims to provide stable support for organisations to plan ahead, grow, develop and deliver strategic goals primarily addressing creative professionals and communities,” stated Minister Bonnici.

This festival has become one of the most awaited summer festivals, considered as the opening event of the summer music season in Malta especially due to its attraction of huge crowds the event is renowned for.

The weekend long festival is bringing its audience a mix of well-established acts together with various new artists and genres which the festival has not seen before.

Organised by a team of volunteers, the Beland Music Festival started in 2011 and aims to serve as a platform for the development and promotion of local artists in the musical sector by combining established headlining artists with up-and-coming artists. This blend creates an attractive atmosphere that allows the audience to appreciate the wide range of talents available in Malta.

The festival will kick off at 8.00 pm where on each day 2 local bands will be competing in the third edition of the Beland Music Contest supported by Arts Council Malta and PRS for Music. The artists are: Auntie's Yellow Sofa, RiSE, Jessica Magro, Dav.Jr, Mark Anthony Bartolo and Raquel.

On Friday 3rd May the show commences with a live performance by Klinsmann and Kersten Graham, winner of the Beland Music Contest 2018, and headlined by the anticipated concert from Ira Losco.

On Saturday 4th the Beland team is putting together an innovative show together with star DJs Tenishia and Ruby accompanied by several well-established singers, live musicians, fireworks and dance shows.

 All will come to an end on Sunday 5th May with a concert from Mana Tapu!

The festival will be held at Market Square, in iż-Żejtun. Entrance is against a donation at the door.