Largest ever Valletta Green Festival launched

The Valletta Green Festival – an annual event which is synonymous with the Maltese Cultural Calendar – has opened in the capital.

This year’s edition is said to be the largest since the festival started to be held, and will “be leaving behind a 25 per cent legacy when it comes to improving urban greening in Valletta”, according to Valletta Cultural Agency Chairman Jason Micallef.

Valletta visitors are welcomed by a temporary garden in Freedom Square, before continuing towards St George’s Square, where the main activities will be held.

This edition’s “infiorate” is designed by local artist Zack Ritchie on the theme of “Zero Pollution”, and features a colourful turtle inspired by this year’s European Green Week theme.

Indigenous trees including Pine, Myrtle and Bay Leaf decorate De Valette Square, and a total of 100 Cypress trees have been placed along Republic Street, Republic Square, and St George’s Square while lemon and orange trees decorate Great Siege Square.

As part of the festival, the Environmental and Resources Authority (ERA) has reproduced a beehive made with a marine wood structure in St George’s Square, aiming to stress the importance of pollination for biodiversity, and how pollution impacts this process.

This year’s edition of the Kite Festival, a collaboration between the Valletta Cultural Agency, the China Cultural Centre and the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, will be held on 8th May at 10am, via Zoom.

Attendees, and particularly children are invited to participate as Kite Master Mr Guo Hongli shares his tips, tricks and kite-making techniques.

Guests may also visit the newly opened roof garden at the Valletta Design Cluster which is a key component of the urban regeneration project that the Valletta Cultural Agency has been undertaking. It is fully accessible via a lift, and is open to the public daily from 8am to 6pm.

The event was opened by Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government José Herrera and Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli, as well as Mr Micallef.

“It is part of the government’s vision to introduce more urban greening and thus part of the trees and shrubs that are being used during this festival will be left permanently in Valletta to continue greening our capital city,” said Minister Herrera.

The event will close on Tuesday, 11th May.