The heart of culture:

Tuesday, 15 January at 8pm: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second (National Theatre Live) – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta; Sunday, 20 January from 6pm: Opera Evening - Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta; All week: Valletta International Baroque Festival 2019 – various locations.

Get inside somewhere warm to experience heartfelt music and theatre in some of Valletta’s most iconic locations. On Tuesday, the capital’s contemporary art centre, Spazju Kreattiv, is broadcasting The Tragedy of King Richard the Second live from the National Theatre in London. Simon Russell Beale plays William Shakespeare’s Richard II, an irresponsible and self-serving leader whose weakness throws his kingdom into chaos – a universal story if ever there was one. And, music continues to sound from the honeycombed limestone walls of the capital as part of the Valletta International Baroque Festival, now in its seventh year, which is complemented by an evening of opera at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. This promises to be an night of arias and overtures from the popular works of Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Strauss (among others) performed by the philharmonic orchestra of Nissena, Italy.

Hit the heat:

Friday, 18 January from 10pm – 4am: Fridazed (Opening Night) – Tigne Seafront, Sliema; Saturday, 19 January from 10pm – 4am: Liquid Dimension Psychedeli-Goa-Trance - Liquid, San Gwann; Saturday, 19 January from 9pm: Brian James presents Society Sessions – Café Society, Valletta.

For some, the sweltering clubs this weekend are the only place to keep the winter cold at bay. Friday night sees the opening of Fridazed by party-impressarios Dazed and Confused Records, whose techno and house sounds are bound to get the night thumping. Your weekend can really let loose with a top-up of trance at Liquid Club on Saturday, with an afterparty at Tigullio for those who just cannot get enough. But, if you want to let your hair down in the capital, Café Society is hosting an electronic night with Brian James playing some techno, deep and dub-house music on vinyl. 

Spirited sales:

Friday, 18 January from 5pm – 10pm: Secondhand Book Sale - Maori, Valletta; Sunday, 20 January from 10am: Lola's January Sale – Villa Madama, Birkirkara

You’ve splurged enough in December, so now’s the time to take stock of what you have and what you truly need to get you through the next few months. Or, perhaps, this is the time to go through what you need to get rid of. Maori in Valletta is hosting a second-hand book sale on Friday from 5pm which allows you to do both: you can give your lovies a second home and you can even discover some new worlds to pick up and place on your shelves. Browse with a beer in hand, or a glass of wine – this place has some of the cheapest drinks on the island! And, if it’s your kids you need supplies for, Lola’s Rooms will be putting its brightest wares out on sale at Villa Madama in Birkirkara.