Malta Events Guide: January 2023
Malta Events Guide: January 2023
Here are some of the best activities you can enjoy when visiting Malta and Gozo this January
Music and entertainment
Few things bring us all together more effectively than a captivating performance. From tongue-in-cheek comedies and music performances to new theatrical smashes and shows, Malta has some incredible entertainment lined up this month!
A Little Killing Hurts No One - English Stand Up Comedy
Lasallian Nights 2023: Charmed
valletta baroque festival
MSA’s 100 years at Palazzo de La Salle celebration
Date: 12 January
Location:Palazzo de La Salle, 219 Republic Street, VallettaÂ
Malta’s finest musicians will be joining forces to celebrate the Malta Society of Arts’ 100 years at Palazzo de La Salle with a series of monthly concerts and masterclasses. In this first concert, Christine Zerafa’s piano quartet will perform Carmelo Pace’s Conversazioni, Mariella Cassar Cordina’s new commission as part of the celebrations and other works.
Get your tickets from showshappening.com
A Little Killing Hurts No One – English Stand Up Comedy
Date: 13 January
Location:The Black Pearl, Ta’ Xbiex, Malta
After a sold out tour in Austria, international touring Stand up comedian Mustafa Algiyadi is performing his solo show in Malta! In “A little killing hurts no one”, Mustafa Algiyadi manoeuvres through the European way of life from the lens of an Arab, longing so bad to be part of it, yet confronted with some cultural differences that makes it….confusing!Â
If you are up for deconstructing people’s behaviours, talk about war, religion, meditation, velvet sofas and to learn that maybe some killing is not so bad after all then you got to see this stand up comedy show and enjoy all that with laughters along the way.Â
Get your tickets from showshappening.com
Lasallian Nights 2023: Charmed
Date: 13-15 January
Location:De La Salle College, St Edward Street, BirguÂ
Follow the story of Prince Charming and his romantic endeavours! He crosses paths with an array of colourful candidates, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella, but who of these princesses is his true love? This dynamic tale makes for an exuberant evening filled with laughter, excitement and emotion, topped off with many dazzling songs and dance numbers.
Get your tickets from showshappening.com
Valletta Baroque Festival 2023
Date: 11-29 JanuaryÂ
Location: Various Locations
Spanning over three weeks, the festival offers a quintessential experience of all that is Baroque as it takes place in exquisite venues such as St John’s Co-Cathedral, The Verdala Palace, Palazzo Parisio, and Teatru Manoel to name a few. These venues are authentic Baroque spaces adorned with lavish decor, sculptures and paintings that are typical of this period. the festival highlights the enormous versatility of the baroque idiom and its mass appeal. Above all the festival’s strength lies in the wonderful baroque settings that one finds in Valletta and the Maltese archipelago; a precious legacy that each and every one of us Maltese treasure.
For more information visit www.festivals.mt
Electric Café Concert
Date: 21 JanuaryÂ
Location: Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta
In this fast-moving, ultra-connected, and complicated world, it’s always a pleasure for us humans to find refuge in nostalgic sensations. They take us back to a time and place where our minds were free from all the noise. One of the most powerful man-made inventions, that’s been with us for thousands of years, that can also take us back into these blurry yet vivid recollections — is music. And Electric Café will take us there.Electric Café was the very first concert Electronic Music Malta produced back in December 2015. In 2023, they’re eight years older, with one of our most ambitious line-ups to date. This time they gather 10 of the finest local artists, not to jam but to interpret some of electronic music’s timeless classics by the likes of Daft Punk, Boards of Canada and Yazoo, amongst others.
Get your tickets from ticketenginex.kreattivita.org
MET Opera Live: Kevin Puts’ The Hours (Encore)
Date: 29 January
Location:Â Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta
Soprano Renée Fleming makes her highly anticipated return to the Met in the world-premiere production of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Kevin Puts’s The Hours, adapted from Michael Cunningham’s acclaimed novel.
Get your tickets from www.kreattivita.org
food and drinks
Malta has everything you and your family could wish for on holiday and the cusine is just sometihng else. Here’s our pick of food-related activities to keep the whole family entertained
folklore dinner show
whiskey festival
lebanese mezze workshop
Folklore Dinner ShowÂ
Date: 13, 20 January
Location: Ta’ Marija, Mosta
A cultural celebration through dance, characterised with local ‘Folklore’ performances. Enjoy a Maltese dining experience alongside this authentic tradition.
For more information visit tamarija.com
Tajine Workshop
Date: 25 January
Location: MCA, Naxxar
Learn about the use of the tajine that delivers such fantastic flavours, ingredients, spices, as well as how it all comes together. The preparation of the tajine was typically reserved for celebration days, weddings and highly-esteemed guests. Create your own representation of this famous North African dish. Everything will be provided including as an apron as well as the ingredients, and equipment needed for the duration of the session.
For more information visit www.mcamalta.com
Glass & Class: Italy-Campania Wine Region Masterclass
Date: 27 January
Location: Villa Bighi, Kalkara
Malta’s leading wine educator Aaron Rizzo will be guiding this masterclass session, where he we help all attended understand what’s in that glass, what went behind it, who made it, where it came from and why it’s so good.
Get your tickets from showshappening.com
Valletta Food Tour
Date: 14, 21, 28 January
Location:  Meeting point: Front entrance to St. John’s Co-Cathedral in St. John’s Square
Discover the culture and cuisine of this unique Mediterranean island in a food-filled three hour walking trail packed with curious and exciting information by an experienced guide –Â Graze while you go! The food tours offer a sumptuous glimpse into this world of local restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and crusty bakes from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, local wines and local beer. Suitable clothing and sensible footwear are a must as trails will be held in all weather conditions. Tours are only available in English.
Book your spot by visiting offbeatmaltafoodtrails.com
The Whiskey Festival
Date: 28 JanuaryÂ
Location: Limestone Heritage, Triq Mons Mikel Azzopardi, Siggiewi
Throughout the event there will be a wide selection of both blenden and single malt whiskeys paired with the right food, besides other entertainment for all the family throughout the evening.Â
Lebanese Mezze Workshop
Date: 31 January Â
Location: Mediterranean Culinary Academy, Naxxar
This workshop will showcase a range of dishes influenced by Lebanese dishes which will result in a feast of colours and textures bursting with flavours. Â By the end of the evening a beautiful spread of hummus dip, pita bread, tabbouleh salad, falafel balls, and a tahini dressing will await you together with a glass of wine.Â
For more information visit www.mcamalta.com
art and culture
We’ve pulled together a rundown of promising arts and culture events to stir the senses in the new yearÂ
Manoel theatre exclusive tour
in guardia parad
enlightenment exhibition
Honor Frost’s Malta: A Pioneer in the Centre of the Mediterranean
Date: 1-31 January
Location: National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta
An exhibition highlighting underwater archaeologist Honor Frost’s connection to Malta. Honor Frost was a pioneer of underwater archaeology and amongst the first to combine the discipline of archaeology with diving. Frost’s first dive experience in a well in London in 1953 and her first dive on an ancient shipwreck a year later sparked a lifetime of underwater exploration. Her connection to Malta began in 1967, when she travelled to the island to map and excavate a 3rd century AD Roman shipwreck located in Mellieħa Bay.
Enlightenment Exhibition
Date: 5-25 JanuaryÂ
Location: Art Galleries of the Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle, Valletta
The exhibition centres around the use of colour, texture and 23.5 karat gold leaf, as a form of expressing the artist’s personal journey over the past year and a half. Despite the turmoil and trepidation, through the darkness, colour, light and gold have shone through. The gold leaf is symbolic of the instances of beauty, growth and timelessness which were intertwined within these difficult moments in the artist’s life. Moreover, the dual metaphoric symbolism of the gold and gilding techniques used in creating these abstract pieces, reflects the relevance that the traditional and timeless technique of gilding has in the realm of art. Through her paintings, Rebecca finds a form of escapism from the bitter realities of this period in her life while also celebrating the triumphs experienced in the face of adversity.
Unseen and Unheard
Date: 17 January – 14 April
Location:Â The Storm Petrel Foundation, Triq Sant Anton, Attard
Unseen and Unheard is an exhibition that sheds light on overlooked or previously unrecorded war narratives and microhistories from Malta and elsewhere. It brings together items and artefacts drawn from different collections, with a primary focus on wartime experiences of women and girls.
The exhibition was inspired by a series of conversations between the Storm Petrel Foundation and Dr Robert Attard. Dr Attard had found a collection of letters written by a young German woman during the Second World War, some of which will be on display in the exhibition, together with other artefacts from a number of collections.
For more information visit www.stormpetrelfoundation.org
In Guardia Parade
Date: 15, 22 January
Location: Fort St Angelo, Birgu
The In Guardia Parade is a 16th century historical event that can be traced back to the Knights of St John. The noble order – also called the Knights Hospitaller and the Order of Hospitallers – arrived in Malta in the year 1530 and settled on the islands for 250 years. During this time, the Knights would frequently hold this event, which involved a regular inspection of the fort and garrison by the Gran Bailiff who was in charge of military affairs.Nowadays, the re-enactment has proven to be a popular spectacular for both locals and tourists. The event is rooted in the Knights’ history, and includes performances of drills, fencing, fire arms and canon firing by the bombardiers.
Get your tickets from heritagemalta.mt
Teatru Manoel Exclusive Tour
Date: 19, 24, 28 January
Location: Manoel Theatre, Valletta
Teatru Manoel proudly presents a new exclusive tour, in collaboration with House of Tours. Theatre is part of our civilisation, it is, however, a fleeting art. The moment a performance is over it continues to exist only in the memory of the spectator. Nevertheless, there is one permanent expression of this art, the theatre building and all its stories. Every theatre tells us something new, about it’s founders and their stories, about the relationship between audience and artists, and the changing times.
Book your spot on www.teatrumanoel.com.mt
C’est La Vie: Sculpture Exhibition
Date: 20 January – 12 February
Location: Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq, Mqabba
The solo exhibition by ceramist Joseph Agius focuses on various aspects of life. The exhibition title is meant as a tongue-in-cheek or sarcastic comment to highlight the alienation that we are surrounded with and the ‘laissez-faire’ way of life that we are so used to live in. The aspects tackled are various and origin from different strata of life as well as from different countries. The sculptures presented in this collection are all executed in ceramics, a signature medium for Agius who has been working for over 30 years and all come with very evocative titles, which is very typical and expected of Agius’s provocative works.
Anamnesis: Visual Art Exhibition
Date: 20 January – 26 February
Location: Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta
The project is an introspective visual art exhibition by Clint Calleja, consisting of paintings, sculptures, photography and installations revolving around the theme of ‘Trauma and Memory’. The artworks will be unfolding through autobiographical recollections that remain imprinted in his memory.Â
Curated by Kenneth Cassar, this exhibition is an intimate confession through four life changing tragic chapters which have marked the artist and his family in a short period of time.
Â
