Traditional moments:

Friday, 29th June from 7pm: The Feast of Mnarja – Buskett Gardens.

Tomorrow is a public holiday (woop woop!) and this time we’re celebrating the feast of Mnarja, one of the oldest in the Maltese calendar, celebrating the deeds of St Peter and St Paul. The name originates from the Latin word ‘luminare’, meaning to light up, and referring to the lumination provided by bonfires and candles in traditional festivities. The main area of celebration is Buskett Gardens, near Rabat, where farmers, animal breeders, animal lovers and gardeners are exhibiting their products and placing them in competitions. There will also be folk music, Maltese food and – of course – brilliant illumination. 

Keep moving to the music:

All weekend: Malta Music Week – various locations.

In conjunction with this week's Isle of MTV, Malta Music Week is organising a spate of events which are taking place in locations all over the islands. On Saturday, MTV will be organising The Grind at MedAsia Playa – the perfect place to show off your moves, and get caught on camera doing so (the event will be streaming live!). Another one of the highlights is the Sunset Party taking place on Sunday at Café del Mar – DJ Jax Jones, the man behind the sounds of You Don’t Know Me, Instruction and Breathe, will be spinning some tracks to get the party moving. 

Friday, 29th June from 10:30pm: Sound Salon Fridays - Summer Opening Special - Uno Malta, Crafts Village, Ta' Qali; Saturday, 30th June from 11am – 11pm: Annual Pearl Beach 'White Party' by Prive Events - Pearl Beach, Sliema & Saturday, 30th June from 10pm – 4am: The Guestlist Saturdays ft. Sidney Samson - Marrakech Malta, Gianpula Village, Rabat.

This weekend’s parties offer the expected array of DJs, music and a few of out-of-the-way locations (all the better, so music can be pumped up really loud), but there are a few just started, and others which offer a bit of a twist to the usual. Tomorrow night, Uno Malta is hosting Sound Salon Fridays, to get people into the mood for what they’re calling “the biggest summer yet”. As can be expected, Saturday evening is the night when most things happen (despite the long weekend). Pearl Beach is organising its White Party – only make plans to go if you can fish out something suitably white (a test for the cleansing power of your washing machine perhaps?). And, Sidney Samson, the man behind house classic 'Riverside' which reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart, will be at Marrakech at Gianpula Village. 

Sunday, 1st July from 9pm – 10:30pm: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Meets Malta – Teatru Manoel, Valletta.

For a different sort of music – and a different type of crowd – you might want to check out the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra concert, the first of its kind on this island. Forming part of the ensemble’s touring set of performances, the event will feature the musical tours de force of some of the classical world’s most iconic composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. The concert will also open with a performance of Side by Side, in collaboration with the Malta Youth Orchestra.

Find your little bit of something special:

Saturday, 30th June and Sunday, 1st July from 6pm – 11pm: Summer Nights, June Market - Piazza Paolino Vassallo, Cospicua.

Local artists are coming together this Saturday and Sunday to present their wares at the Summer Nights June market, taking place in Cospicua. Expect to find Glen Calleja’s new range of handmade books (Kotba Calleja), the graphic art of Te fit-Tazza by Andrew Farrugia and locally made delicacies & chutneys by Oil&More. There will also be cocktails and nibbles. Win-win!

An art-fest!

All weekend until the 15th July: Malta International Arts Festival – various locations.

The Malta International Arts Festival is a highly anticipated fixture in the events calendar, and is definitely something to keep track of. Opening with Kubu+ tomorrow evening from 9pm at St George’s Square, the night will include musicians such as the Big Band Brothers and the dancer Oded Ronen performing in a cube-like set up. On Saturday, buskers will be dancing and singing through the streets of Valletta in a choreographed exhibition of local talent. And, for something a little more thought provoking, the Grandmaster’s Palace is hosting an exhibition of photographs by Syrian and Yazidi children from two camps in Iraqi Kurdistan.