New & Now
Valletta hailed “one of the Mediterranean’s most exciting and innovative arts cities” by The Guardian
Malta’s capital cited a must-visit in 2018 by one of the world’s premier portals.

Rebecca Anastasi

“Malta has managed to shed its pensioners’ package holiday image, reinventing itself with boutique hotels and festivals,” according to a recent feature on The Guardian.

Highlighting Valletta's reinvention from "a city barely touched for centuries" into a thriving city worthy of it's European Capital of Culture title, it also names the previously notorious Strait Street as a "sophisticated nightlife hub".

A post shared by Visit Malta (@visitmalta) on

Parliament and City Gate get special mention, as does the forthcoming opening of MUZA, Malta’s national art gallery, scheduled to open in a few weeks. 

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Valletta 2018 events, such as Pageant of the Seas, Bodies in Urban Spaces and several local music festivals, such as Earth Garden and Kentaro, were also featured, and credited with helping the capital's overhaul and the Maltese Islands' reinvigorated image.

Altofest, a project that explores experimental sociality through contemporary live art, was also described by The Guardian journalist, Liz Boulter, as “an intriguing experiment in contemporary live art”.

It's great to see Malta's beloved capital getting the recognition it deserves - not just a fantastic location steeped in history and culture, but as a city that's every bit as relevant today as it was in the time of the Knights Hospitaller. Have you visited yet?

For more information on the Valletta 2018 cultural calendar, click here.


Rebecca Anastasi
Written by
Rebecca Anastasi
Rebecca has dedicated her career to writing and filmmaking, and is committed to telling stories from this little rock in the Mediterranean.

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