The 14th edition of the much appreciated and awaited Notte Bianca will be taking place this year, but with twist, as it will be spread over the months of October and November, a spokesperson for the Minstry of National Heritage, arts and local Government told this newsroom.
Notte Bianca is an annual event that sees Malta’s capital city turned into a festival of culture and art for one night, with various performances and shows taking place across the whole city.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of events had to be cancelled, however, Notte Bianca was still being advertised as taking place on Saturday 3 October. With the virus still very much alive and present in Malta, The Malta Independent asked the Ministry of Arts, National Heritage and Local Government whether this event will be taking place this year.
“With reference to your queries on this year’s edition of Notte Bianca, the Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government, together with Festivals Malta and Arts Council Malta has taken a decision to redesign the 14th edition of Notte Bianca into a new festival of Culture and Arts spread over several weeks in October and November instead of one specific day,” a spokesperson for the Ministry replied.
This decision was taken in order to fully respect and safeguard the wellbeing of the general public and artists alike given the circumstances of the pandemic COVID-19, they added.
"Minister José Herrera would like to stress that during such challenging times the authorities need to take bold decisions however, notwithstanding the current circumstances, they still have the obligation to provide sensible solutions to support our artists as Arts and Culture remain an important element for Malta’s society."
“Notte Bianca was and eventually will resume to be the largest local festival of Culture and Arts. The cultural and creative sectors spur innovation across the economy, as well as contribute to numerous other channels with positive social impact, well-being and health, education, inclusion, urban regeneration and Festivals Malta will continue to persevere in supporting artists and creatives throughout these difficult times.”
This decision was communicated to the artists involved in the festival on the 17th September 2020 and Festivals Malta will be working closely with the artists in order to redesign the programme with their full collaboration, the response continued.
The Ministry and Festivals Malta confirmed that all the performances that were going to be held during this year’s edition of Notte Bianca will still be given the opportunity and be commissioned to perform during these weeks.
The ministry’s spokesperson explained that the size of the crowd that can watch a single performance will be greatly reduced so as to reduce the chances of transmission of the virus.