Bands accompanied by beer, bangers and burgers

Jazz and beer ends this weekend, and bands and beer starts next as the Farsons Great Beer Festival comes round again. Now in its 30th year, it’s a mid summer institution. Whether you’re a music lover, a beer lover, or just in search some cool night air with the family in tow (and families do go in droves; expect lots of buggies!), the Beer Festival is the place to be from Friday 23 – Sunday 1 August at Ta’ Qali national park.

In fact, event organisers in Malta it seems need do no more than find an open air space, add a beer stall or two and a few fast-food stands (some surprisingly tasty though or perhaps the beer adds to appetite) and people turn up. Not all who go to the Malta Jazz Festival are jazz aficionados; a lot just go to meet old friends and chat along to some background music. Not all who go to the Farsons Great Beer Festival are interested in all the music on offer though it has such a diversity of music you can cherry pick a night to suit. Since it’s billed as ‘Malta’s largest outdoor music festival’, we’ll concentrate on the bands.

The line-up is local and spans almost all tastes with something of interest to most generations. The programme takes place on a main stage and a rock stage with three bands / artists a night on each. Music varies from a Johnny Cash tribute night to Ira Losco and Thea Garrett and over on the rock stage from Scream Daisy, Chasing Pandora to Fakawi and the Rifffs. Fakawi on the last night has become an institution in itself with its theatrical, not just musical performance that is always a big crowd puller.

Info:
The festival opens from 8pm onwards each night. Ta’ Qali car park offers free parking.
Public Transport: Bus Numbers 80, 81 and 84. Last bus back to Valletta from Ta’ Qali is 10.30 so not much use. Farsons told us they put in a request for an extension to the hours of these route buses, but the reply was that since so few people used the late night service in previous years, the buses don’t think it’s worthwhile running later.

Farsons Great Beer Festival on Facebook
Official Beer Festival site

Photo: Chris Farrugia

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This is a safe dive. But stay alert to those around you in the water. Not all may be as it seems.

As we all head for water to escape the heat (36°C now in mid July and rising), we need to remember that water and water play are fantastic for cooling off, but that water also needs our respect, whether pool or sea.

We ran an advice piece on water safety and kids just two weeks ago. But what we’re talking about here is something different – how to recognise the signs of someone drowning. We are conditioned, probably by films, to think that people who are drowning wave their arms around, shout and look in distress in the water. If they are managing to wave and shout, then they are likely to be ‘in distress’ but not actually drowning; not at that point. Their noise will trigger our reaction, and lifeguards into action. But it’s those who are silent in the water we need to look out for…

Yesterday I read a blog post by a guy who has 19 years of US Navy and Coastguard service and writes on all aspects of water safety. He said that drowning doesn’t look like drowning. Because people who are drowning are usually silent, unable to shout as their remaining breaths are for gulping air not voice production, and their arms and hands will be underwater paddling downwards in an attempt to propel their bodies upwards. Because they are silent and their movements underwater, we are less likely to notice their plight.

The article is an eye opener, and led me elsewhere to read about another possibility – ‘delayed drowning‘ which can happen hours after a person has gulped water into their lungs. As island folk with sea and pools the mainstay of our summers, we need to recognise the signs drowning and delayed drowning.

Now, I don’t write ths to shock you, but more to make us all realise we need to at least be aware of the signs of drowning and delayed drowning. Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha beaches have life guards (10am – 6pm), but we leisure and pleasure swimmers are out there, and our alertness may save someone this summer.

So please click here and read the article I read. And let’s all hope for a safe summer in sea and pools.

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The Many Faces of Strait Street. ('Museum Night' 70x100cm acrylic on paper)

Strait Street, Valletta, has been getting quite some attention in recent months. Not that its name hasn’t had a certain resonance for well over a century – ask any British ex-servicemen who were stationed in Malta up to the ’60s or so.

Famed, or notorious for its music halls and less salubrious life in Valletta of old, Strait Street is now high on the agenda for rehabilitation and becoming an ‘in’ venue for those who love art, wine and music.

Wine bars and little hole-in-the-wall galleries have emerged along its very narrow thoroughfare, and thrive. By day M&S, that most British of retailers, is open for business in a designer-renovated building and further down, as it dips towards the end of the Valletta peninsula, law firms have lovingly done up patricians’ houses into amazing offices.

And, a couple of months back, we got the new Strait Street public conveniences! Which were talk of the town when they opened.

Riding on the crest of all this interest in the once much maligned Strait Street, this year’s Malta Arts Festival has created an event to celebrate the street. Spaces or Spazji is all about representing visual arts in a way the festival hasn’t captured them in previous editions. Rather than a conventional exhibition, the scope of this year’s project was to find and create a ‘new’ space for the visual arts.

The Art Exhibition
A privately-owned space near the upper end of Strait Street (nearly opposite Trabuxu wine bar has been ‘loaned’ out especially for the occasion and now hosts the works of five independent artists.

In complete contrast to the street’s physical boundaries, the works on show are broad in theme. The artists – Sean Gabriel Ellul, Fabrizio Ellul, Ruth Bianco, Anton Grech and James Micallef Grimaud, selected by curator Lisa Gwen Baldacchino – have been drawn together in the hopes of setting a precedent.

Spaces|spazji runs from July 9 till July 30 at No. 187, Strait Street, Valletta. Opening hours: 10 a.m. till 7 p.m. daily. Entrance: free.

More on Malta Arts Festival.

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For a cool seat at the Malta Jazz Festival, cruise with the Hera

This is our second piece about boats in as many days, but with Malta sweltering right now, all thoughts turn to water. Having been stuck in the 1pm rush hour from Valletta today, with my son singing ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen Go out in the Midday Sun’ behind me, I can tell you I was pleased to get this cool news when I got home and checked mail…

Malta Jazz Festival Cruises
I can think of fewer better ways to spend a sultry July night in Malta than listening to some world-class jazz with a cool breeze from sea enveloping me. If that appeals to you too, then listen up, because booking’s just opened for a places on a Turkish Gulet, the Hera, which is running Malta Jazz Festival (15,16,17 July) evening cruises of Grand Harbour with a buffet included.

Those veteran Jazz Festival goers among us will have seen the boats anchor up each year for one of the most memorable seats in town. The Hera is a sponsor of the festival, so has its rightful place among the craft that are bound to jostle along the wharf near us landlubbers and the stage. Even if you’re not on board, the yachts bobbing nearby make the setting uniquely Malta Jazz.

Booking Details
Tickets are €50. The package includes a 45-minute cruise of Grand Harbour taking in the sunset, and a cold buffet and welcome drink.

Departure from Sliema Ferries opposite Burger King/ Nazzarenu Church.

Time 8.00pm – 11.30pm
Price €50 per night
Transport included.

For further details, e-mail:
info@heracruises.com or call +356 21330583/ 21347483

To book, call 79445448

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The Hulda Festival: a ship on a journey of science & art

First, there’s the boat – the MS Hulda, built in 1905. And then aboard it is a travelling exhibition of scientific sculptures by the Turkish-Swedish artist Ilhan Koman (1921 – 1986). The Hulda is now birthed at Grand Harbour Marina, Birgu (3 – 13 July) as part of the Malta Arts Festival. And it’s running some some great, hands-on workshops for kids, for free. But what is Hulda all about and why is it in Malta?

What is Hulda?
The Hulda Festival features events celebrating the meeting of arts and sciences around Hulda and Koman. The Festival kicked off in March 2009 and will draw to a close in November 2010, by which time the Festival aboard ship will have visited Stockholm, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bordeaux, Lisbon, Barcelona, Naples, Malta, Thessalonica and Istanbul. The festival benefits from the active partnership of some of the most prestigious art or science institutions based in these 10 cities.

Ilhan Koman’s creativity combined arts with sciences, make him a representative of a universal approach that descends from Leonardo da Vinci. For the Hulda Festival, Koman’s artworks embark aboard Hulda, the boat that was his residence and workshop. Visitors are welcome to play with the artists’ most interesting pieces to get feel for their scientific properties and artistic qualities.

Workshops for Children
In parallel, ten different workshops have been conceptualised for children by a local organisation in each of the Hulda’s pit stops. The workshops bring artistic and scientific disciplines together to make them more interesting and playful through topics such as “Sculpture & Aerodynamics”, “Creating the Nautical Charts of the Middle-Ages” and “Art and Alternative Energies”. In Malta, the Art and Science Youth workshops are organised by Il-Kunsill Malti għax-Xjenza u t-Teknoloġija (Malta Council for Science and Technology) : 3 – 13 July 2010 – Hulda Tent.

Booking & Info
Workshops will be open to a maximum of 25-30 children each session. You will need to pre-book. For more information please contact Martina Castillo at martina.castillo@gov.mt or give her a call on 23602122.

Background on the Hulda Festival project, which ends in Istanbul to celebrate its year as a European City of Culture.

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Even when they swim like fish, you need to be vigilant

This article is aimed at giving you advice for a happy, safe holiday with kids on, in and around water in Malta this summer. Do take a moment to browse down. We’re rather like the flight attendant reminding you to listen to those safety instructions even if you’re a frequent flyer (or swimmer… in our case)!

Holidays are for relaxation, and nowhere more so than in Malta which promotes itself on its relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle. However, as parents we can’t really relax when water and kids mix because…

Swimming pools pose the greatest risk of death and injury to children in a home or holiday setting. More British children drown on holiday abroad than in Britain itself, most of them in swimming pools. And if you take recent statistics from Algarve (Spain) and Greece, most drownings of young children are in pools, not the sea, despite the unpredictability of the sea and the crowds that beaches pull.

There is good news in all this though – research shows that most swimming pool drownings are preventable.

Swimming Pools & the Law
In 2008, a new European Union standard relating to the design and operation of swimming pools came into effect. It is a standard only, but both France and Spain have introduced laws based on it, and backed by hefty fines, to protect youngsters in both private and public pools. French law states that all privately-owned swimming pools should be equipped with a safety fence and gate with a self closing latch. This is not the case in Malta.

If you are renting a house with pool in Malta or Gozo this summer, do ask about pool safety equipment such as fences and gates if you have young children and are at all worried. Also, check about non-slip surfaces and ask if filters, reservoirs or infinity pools have sufficient safety barriers in place. Be aware that some houses for summer rentals have pools up close to the premises, or even fitted into courtyards; perhaps you can lock doors though this is rarely practical in summer heat.

Just be prepared to be vigilant. After all, however many safety devices are in place, accidents can happen so don’t rely 100% on anything other than your own eyes and presence of mind. If you really want to relax on holiday, swim with the kids!

Seaside / Poolside Safety Tips

Things to consider:
• Fencing round pools to avoid kids inadvertently wandering off to the swimming pool without adult supervision.
• Alarms that ring by the pool and in your house, as soon as wave action is detected, are also a good option.
• Another alternative is pool covers or shelters, though be aware that covers can hold enough water on top to pose a threat to toddlers.
• Be aware also of hidden dangers from drain or suction entrapments. Drains with broken, missing or faulty covers can entrap hair, the body, limbs, jewellery and clothing, or cause disembowelment/evisceration.
• Slippery surfaces. Nasty accidents can be avoided by wearing rubber swimming shoes, usually made out of wet-suit material. These can also protect little feet from sharp rocks and pebbles, sea urchins and other hazards by the sea.
• Swim Aids: armbands should be worn by young children at all times when in close proximity to pools or by the seaside. Modern versions are now available which do not have to be inflated. These swimming discs are quick and easy to put on, give your child better posture and more confidence in the water, and most importantly don’t puncture, so you have a lot less to worry about.
• Shade by the pool and even more so by the sea, is paramount in avoiding sunburn. Sea salt and sand mean sun block does not last as long at the beach, but these days you can find UV tents from most kids’ related outlets or online, which give the whole family a safe way to enjoy the sun.
• At the beach, avoid rough or choppy water. Be careful with inflatable boats and lilos, which can quickly and easily drift out to sea. Check the weather and the likelihood of jellyfish, before you head out.
• Have a medical or first aid kit with you to deal with jellyfish stings and accidents.
• Always have an adult present when kids are swimming. At gatherings, it is particularly important to appoint a strong swimmer to supervise kids by the pool or sea, to ensure there is a responsible adult watching at all times.

Additional reporting by Faye Camilleri Preziosi, who retails Delphin Disc armbands in Malta.
See also: Delphin website.

For more information on pool fencing in Malta, see: protectachildmalta.com

Photo: Anne Muscat Scerri.

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Rarer in the wild these days. A Maltese rabbit that had better watch out. It's a tradition to eat it on the feast of L'Imnajra.

The public holiday known as ‘L’Imnajra’ that falls on 29 June, has to be one of Malta’s most obscure in origin and defies neat description. In the religious calendar, the day marks the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, but this Maltese celebration, which starts on the night of 28 June and carries on all the next day into evening, is probably less to do with religion and more about rural life, country past-times and folk music.

It’s a bit of a medley really. It’s also associated with one place only in Malta, as people flock to celebrate it in Buskett Gardens that lie between Rabat and Dingli. It’s a family affair with people taking picnics and tents to spend a night out under the small pines which make up Malta’s largest stretch of woodland, planted by the Knights as a hunting grounds.

The feast has roots dating back well before the time of the Knights in Malta. ‘L’Imnajra’ is the Maltese corruption of the Italian word ‘Luminara’ meaning festival of light. The feast’s celebrations were once marked by bonfires lit in Mdina and Rabat, so folklore has it.

What to Expect
The night is characterised by general merry-making and its sociable atmosphere, with people bringing along instruments and making music. Local folk and ethnic-inspired bands usually turn up to play and set the scene. Families have BBQs and picnics and kids romp around. Traditionally, people take rabbit (Fenek) stew to eat. It’s a Maltese national dish and there’s even a Maltese word for ‘going out to eat rabbit’ – Fenkata! Some families and groups of friends make a complete summer night of L’Imarja and camp out.

The following day sees more organised rural pursuits: there is an agricultural show, which gets larger each year (seems to be a trend in Malta recently) as well as traditional bare-back horse and donkey races on Saqqajja Hill below Mdina. So expect some traffic chaos and roads blocked around that area.

Visitor Value
If you want to see some real Malta, then this could be worth a visit. It’s not the sheer exuberance of a village feast, as it’s more a summer folklore and farming affair. But it does have a certain appeal and charm. You will need to bus it there (Bus 81 from Valletta seems the best bet). Take some food and drink, get stuck in, and go with the flow. This is an impromptu affair in some ways, where people make their own fun.

Photo: John Haslam

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Richard Bona, one man, one guitar, one great voice on one magical evening at Malta Jazz

“I always try to find the perfect balance between artists who are big crowd-pullers and others who are more challenging to the ear. It is also my role to expose the Maltese audiences to what’s happening on the jazz scene today. The jazz festival is not just a social event where people gather to drink beer – it is a wonderful opportunity to discover new artists who are creating new exciting music,” says Sandro Zerafa, Malta Jazz’s Artistic Director, and a professional jazz musician himself.

Sandro took over the role for last year’s festival and has had the job of reviving it musically and bringing it back to its jazz roots and its favoured venue of Ta’ Liesse, below Valletta alongside Grand Harbour. Its success last year once again as a pure Jazz festival shows that the Islands can cater to a jazz-inclined crowd.

That said, contrast is the keyword at Malta Jazz 2010 (15,16,17 July), the 20th edition of the festival. This year’s line-up offers a panorama of the contemporary jazz scene, with all its diversity, from u-jazz to fusion, from vocal jazz to world music. Once more, Malta Jazz Festival features the cream of today’s jazz scene, presenting a star-studded line-up and offering a palette of artists catering for both the layman and the seasoned jazz enthusiast.

The Programme
This year’s edition highlights include rising star bass-player and vocalist Esperanza Spalding (clip below) and nu-jazz act The Bad Plus. Esperanza’s own brand of fusion has been headlining jazz festivals around the globe for the past few years and the Malta Jazz Festival this year is proud to present her unique blend of groove, vocal and post-bop jazz. The Bad Plus is one of the most original and influential jazz outfits to have emerged in recent years – a postmodern power jazz trio, notorious for their quirky renditions of Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, David Bowie and Aphex Twin.

The 2010 edition places a particular emphasis on fusion music, with the inclusion of guitar hero Grammy award nominee Mike Stern, (featuring two other familiar names with the Maltese jazz crowd – Randy Brecker and Dave Weckl) and Cameroonian singer/songwriter/virtuoso bass player Richard Bona, a past collaborator of Pat Metheny and the late Joe Zawinul.

Cutting-edge jazz, featuring New York’s finest, is represented by Ari Hoenig, one of the most happening musicians in New Yorkʼs club scene today. The 2010 edition of the Malta Jazz Festival features also two of the most important drummers in the contemporary jazz world – Bill Stewart and Greg Hutchinson, who will be playing with one of the festival’s headliners, saxophone player Joshua Redman.

The local jazz scene will be be represented by Francesca Galea, an up-and-coming vocal talent who will be accompanied by Brazilian pianist Leonardo Montana, and drummer Charles Gatt, the jazz festivalʼs creator, who will be leading his own quartet with Malta’s own Joe Debono on piano, and two familiar names from the Parisian jazz scene – Amy Gamlen on saxophone and Matteo Bortone on bass.

Tickets
Already on sale – at Euros 30 for the three nights, they’re a real steal.

More info
See: Malta Jazz Festival Official Blog for comment and latest.
Also, Malta Jazz Festival site
Malta Jazz on Twitter

And finally, to celebrate 20 Years of Malta Jazz
To mark the festival’s 20th anniversary a commemorative book featuring photography by Pierre Stafrace, Darrin Zammit Lupi, Joe Smith and Patrick Fenech will be published. Details to come.

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Sensual sand and surf. Find your patch of Maltese beach with our guide

Malta has a mainly rocky coastline, is largely urban, has a high density population and doesn’t have the geology or geography to serve up large stretches of golden sand. So, the questions are: does Malta have (enough) sandy beaches to cater for the summer boom? And where are they located?

When we rounded up the sandy beaches (list & map below), the small archipelago does, surprisingly, have a good range of sandy beaches, some man made granted, but on the whole tourists are catered for, wherever they’re staying. Most visitors seek sand, but some join the locals and are happy to swim off rock; OK for those who don’t have small kids at the bucket and spade age! Local councils taking in rocky coastlines and harbours have placed rails and ladders at safer points for us to plunge the depths with ease.

There seems to be enough sand to go round to accommodate 400,000+ Maltese and the swell of summer visitors. To give you an idea: in mid August last year, I went to Gozo’s Ramla Bay at 3pm and managed to plant myself right on the water’s edge. I doubt the same pole position would be possible on many an Italian concession beach! And in Malta, good sandy beaches are FREE! Unless you happen to want to hire a lounger or sunshade. You’ll need to leave some small change with the parkers though as well.

Some Beach Tips
When to arrive
Language students like arriving in droves on the beach in the midday sun. Maltese families tend to come and go very early or very late to sensibly avoid the searing heat, or to BBQ well into the evening (though some councils have banned beach BBQs this year). So adjust your timetable around the students or act like a local! If you can, it’s best to avoid sandy beaches at weekends in peak summer unless it’s actually the hustle and bustle of crowds you’re looking for.

Jellyfish
We’ve seen periods of jellyfish infestation, but usually their arrival is because of a north-westerly prevailing wind blowing them to shore. This year, we’ve had reports of an early ‘blooming’ of jellyfish but apparently sea turtle numbers are up and they feed on them – so fingers crossed! Take precautions – put kids in sleeved sunsuits (a good policy anyway) and have some sting relief or diluted vinegar with you. For more on jelly fish, awareness and burns, click here.

Beach facilities
In the main, Malta’s popular sandy beaches have seen some improvements in the past year or two: Golden Bay for instance has lifeguards (from around 10am), adequate rubbish bins and lifelines anchored on buoys to help swimmers when it’s rough seas. Ghajn Tuffieha has lifelines and a red flag system but no guards. This is reassuring. More could be done on many other beaches, but it’s a start.

Settings and Ambiance
The plus about Malta’s sandy beaches is that they are mostly found in natural settings in the countryside so don’t have the ugliness of built-up promenades behind them. It also means some have few facilities. So go prepared with enough sun cream, water, snacks and sting relief. Man-made beaches at St George’s Bay (Paceville), Pretty Bay and Buggiba are attractive in their own ways still, and have handy shops alongside. St George’s Bay has been awarded Blue Flag status.

Below, we list the main sandy beaches in Malta, Gozo and Comino. Click ‘Larger Map’ for locations and some details on each. We welcome your comments and experiences so we can post an honest low-down on each beach as the summer goes on.

View Malta Sandy Beach Guide in a larger map

Sandy Beaches listing

Links take you to full articles and ‘how to get there’ info.

Malta

Golden Bay
Ghajn Tuffieha
Gnejna Bay
Paradise Bay
Armier & Little Armier
Mellieha Bay
Mistra Bay
St George’s Bay
Pretty Bay, Birzebuggia

Gozo

Ramla Bay
Xlendi Bay

Comino

Blue Lagoon

Photo: Courtesy of Jes Darmanin

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Washing machine died? Then Malta Trade Fair is the place to find a new one.

It’s come round again. Malta’s annual summer biggie – its Trade Fair, which runs 24 June – 4 July, 2010.

Despite the name, this is a pure consumer event, and paradise for anyone hell bent on finding that discounted TV or dishwasher they’ve been thinking about for months. At the Malta International Trade Fair at Ta’ Qali (centre of Malta, off Attard-Mdina road) you’ll find almost every supplier, shop and business conveniently ‘under one roof’. A God-send which saves you traipsing around individual shops, in the heat, over many weeks to compare and contrast models, makes and prices.

I’ve always hated shopping with a kid in tow, especially for anything that requires brain power to decide on. But strangely enough, the annual summer Trade Fair is traditionally a big hit with Maltese families for a night out. It does check some kiddy entertainment boxes though: ice creams, junk food, freebies from stands, probably a bouncy castle and play area somewhere, loads of other kids around, an excuse to stay up late and space to run around. Parents are usually rest assured that Trade Fair prices are on offer in the shop for the fair period, so they can go back and buy in peace later on.

The Trade Fair is now in its 53rd year and going stronger than ever with 12 days, an estimated 100,000 visitors (a quarter of Malta’s population) and some 200 plus stands. Every year, there’s a novelty to draw more crowds. For 2010, Malta Fairs & Convention Centre (MFCC) has gone in for that favourite European occupation of twinning; it has linked with the Modica Fiera della Contea (in the Ragusa region of Sicily). The aim is to promote mutual wares across borders and entice Maltese buyers and sellers to gain access to the Sicilian region’s products. All very worthy, Single Market and EU sounding.

Back to basics though, and details about the Fair, times and how to get there….

When & Where?
It runs for two weeks, 24 June – 4 July at the Maltese International Trade Fair Grounds in Ta’ Qali, (between Attard and Mdina in the centre of Malta)

Getting there
Those who have difficulty in reaching Ta’ Qali by car can use public transport services specifically heading to Ta’ Qali for the two weeks of the Fair, including direct routes from St. Andrews, Cospicua, Paola, Mqabba and Cirkewwa. Full details on the MFCC site here.
Free Parking

Opening Times: 18.30 – 23.30 daily,
Entrance Fee: €3

Photo: courtesy Shola

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