Gozo funzies:

Friday, 17 August from 8pm: Xlendi Sunset Fest 2018 - Xlendi, Gozo

We guess it doesn’t take much imagination to picture a ‘sunset fest’, though Xlendi is putting its colours on display with some music, food and drink this Friday. Popular local band Red Electrick will be performing live and the event is actually free, so you won’t have to worry about the expense of making the trek up to Gozo!

Saturday, 18 August from 9pm – 11pm: Etnika live in Gozo – Cittadella, Gozo

Though, you might want to make a weekend out of it, as many no doubt will. Hordes of Maltese usually head to Malta’s little sister to party and dance the week away at this time of year – and many will stay until Sunday afternoon (you've been warned). But the traffic on the way to the ferry might be worth THIS: folk band Etnika is playing a rare concert in the Cathedral Square of the Citadel. Their use of traditional instruments, together with contemporary sounds, creates a mental picture of Malta few have heard before – and one which is definitely worth staying over for. 

Carnival:

Friday, 17 August & Saturday, 18 August from 10am: Malta Summer Carnival 2018 - The Promenade, Bugibba

Carnival in summer? Apparently so. Some can never quite get their fill of the colourful shenanigans which take place in February. This is being touted as a mix of two types of celebrations: the purely local, in the style of the village festa, and the international carnivalesque. Think gostra (a game in which a large pole is mounted on a barge or pier, smeared with grease and animal fat, and in which competitors climb up the pole to reach flags placed at the top) and parades.  

I will survive:

Saturday, 18 August from 9pm – 11pm: Ira Losco and Special Guests: Women in Music – Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta

Malta’s first lady of pop, Ira Losco, always knows how to bring the crowds in and here, she’s shining a spotlight and showing bounds of respect to women who have made their mark on the music industry internationally. She’s also showcasing some of her own work, together with her band: new songs from her new album No Sinner, No Saint will be performed. Tickets can be bought from here. And you can take a copy of her new work home with you too!

Tunnel vision:

All weekend from 9am: Subterranean Matter – Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta

In this visual art exhibition and short documentary, this year’s two capitals of culture – Valletta and Leeuwarden in The Netherlands – will be connected via a digital wormhole. Artist Leanne Wijnsma created digitised, 3D scans of tunnels which had been forgotten or rendered inaccessible to the general public. Her exhibition aims to tell the stories of these subterranean spaces, as does the documentary: Children of the Underground, which shows how Valletta’s underground tunnel network was dug by hand during World War II. Wijnsma interviewed families which survived, and learnt more about their trauma and their experiences underground. 

The last showdown:

Sunday, 19 August from 10pm – 4am: Gringos Presents Green Velvet – Uno Malta, Ta’ Qali; Sunday, 19 August from 10pm: Panthera Sundays at Marrakech - Marrakech Malta, Gianpula Village

And for the last night of the public holiday week, Uno Malta and Marrakech at Gianpula – a stone’s throw away from each other – are vying for the best end-of-week party. Both are playing house music, and both have special guests: check out Green Velvet in Ta’ Qali or head to the village on the outskirts of Rabat for a mix of afro-house and techno (if you know the difference…)