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Malta: summer 2020's festival hotspot
It’s summer time. The sun is shining, the skies are blue, the tans are golden brown. In most people’s minds, it’s party season.
The story is a little different this year, what with the coronavirus pandemic running amok. Though COVID-19 has ruined plans for many a partygoer, Malta has spotted an opportunity.
The majority of parties, festivals, even gatherings of 10+ have been banned throughout Europe and the world, but not here.
Over the next couple of months, countless parties and four festivals are planned to take place on the island, inviting thousands of revelers from overseas to party till the sun comes up.
Escape 2 the Island, the BPM Festival, Rhythm + Waves and Mi Casa, just to name a few, are all on the cards for our little party island this summer. With headliners like Chase and Status, FatboySlim, Amelie Lens and AJ Tracey heading on down, people are ready to raise their glasses and party.
mi casa festival line up
BPM festival line up
Rhythm + waves festival line up
escape 2 the island festival line up
“Tourism plays a very important role in our economy,” says director of 365 Entertainment, Nicky Spiteri, in an interview with BBC.
In order to combat COVID-19 related concerns, Nicky assured partygoers that he was working with the government to bring in a number of safety measures.
These include temperature checks on arrival, steps to keep a two metre distance between people at all times and sanitisation stations.
“Uno (a festival venue) has a capacity of 8,000 but we’re going to have a field adjacent to it, which can take up to 20,000 people with chill out areas and food areas – so basically, a capacity space of 28,000 for 9,000 ticket holders.”
Five or six stages per event will also be set up to ensure safe distance between people, he added.
For every person experiencing cold feet and expressing their concern, there are another two willing to book a flight and wing it (no pun intended).
At the time of writing this article, there are 46 active cases, with a total of 720 cases, after the country experienced a spike this week, exactly two weeks after opening the airport to 50 countries.
lost and found festival in Malta
cafe del mar
english dj and producer Daniel Pearce, a.k.a Eats Everything
DJ and producer Eats Everything, who is performing at Rhythm + Waves, says: “the uncertainty of not knowing when festivals are going to start is an absolute nightmare for everyone – I really feel for all young ravers all over the world.”
“For me, it was an easy decision to play in Malta because the promoters I know that are working on this festival and other parties out there are the ultimate professionals,” he added.
