After a two-year hiatus, Notte Bianca will make a return on Saturday 1 October from 7 p.m. onwards with a programme that contains various art forms and performances of the highest calibre by local and international artists, a government statement read.

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici underlined the importance of Notte Bianca for the cultural sector. "Notte Bianca is a continuous, direct investment in the cultural sector, which continues to evolve this platform in a way that makes it more accessible to artists and our society," said Bonnici.

The Minister emphasised that the aim of this festival centers around nurturing awareness and appreciation for the identity and culture of Malta and Valletta, whilst embracing the cultural value in people's lives. He continued saying that the programme does not only contain numerous events where the public can enjoy and participate in various activities, but it will also offer the opportunity for both local and international artists to showcase their talents. During this year's edition, there will be 584 artists and more than 50 artistic events.

Festivals Malta Chairman Aaron Zahra said that, although Notte Bianca was not held in its original format for the last two years, Festivals Malta still produced innovative cultural activities in its stead, which followed the health guidelines at the time.

"Now that Notte Bianca will return in full glory, Festivals Malta will continue developing this festival to offer opportunities to various local artists, expose Malta as a cultural destination, and offer entertainment, as well as educational and artistic value to our audiences," said Zahra.

Festivals Malta CEO Annabelle Stivala explained that Notte Bianca will bring the capital city to life for an evening of entertainment that will appeal to everyone's interests, with various events for the whole family that include music, dancing, installations and theatre, among others. "Valletta will have something going on in every corner, with the main stage in St. George's Square, roaming performances, an alternative stage in Laparelli Gardens, and an installation in Tritoni Square, among many other initiatives. The latter will surely be very nostalgic as we will see the traditional Maltese buses exhibited in a unique way," said Stivala.

Notte Bianca Artistic Director Antoine Farrugia said that this year's tagline, 'Anything you want, you got it', inspired the jingle for the festival, which is a cover of the refrain from Roy Orbison's classic song 'You Got It'.

"The refrain of this song was chosen as it embodies the variety of this year's programme. Valletta will transform into an entertainment hub with something for everyone. The performances are organised into different routes, such as the children's route with activities that will start from 4:00 p.m.; the music route, which includes various genres like jazz, blues, pop, rock and much more; the classical route; the theatre route; the dance route; and the alternative route, featuring ethnic music with the participation of Fakawi, Manatapu, Tribali and Trakadum in Gnien Laparelli," Farrugia explained.

For more information about the Notte Bianca programme, visit www.festivals.mt/nb.