Twenty festivals and concerts in Malta are set to benefit from a €300,000 fund devised to support their events.

The Rock’N Malta fund was set up by government body Festivals Malta in a bid to raise the profile of Maltese culture in the community and to promote Malta internationally as a festival destination. It opened applications for 2023 to event organisers last July.

“Since the launch of this [scheme] in 2017, we have managed to offer support to several local artists and organisers to produce rock concerts and all subgenres of this genre,” says Dr Owen Bonnici, minister for national heritage, arts and local government.

“After a call for applications was issued in July 2022, the agency received a very positive response, out of which 20 applicants were successful and will benefit from this fund.”

The programme for 2023 will include Rock the South, Rock Wired, Venti Music Fest, Plaguefest, Dark Malta and Music Playground,along with standalone concerts by international acts Mike and the Mechanics and former Eurovision winners Lordi.

“THIS FUND ALSO HELPS THE AGENCY TO REACH NEW AUDIENCES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS”

“Through the Rock’N Malta fund, Festivals Malta is fully investing in rock music with the aim of helping artists who are still at the beginning of their career,” says Festivals Malta chair Aaron Zahra. “This fund also helps the agency to reach new audiences through international artists who already have several followers in our country.”

Nick Morales, organiser of three-day rock festival Rock the South, which celebrates its 10th year in May, tells the Times of Malta the event will receive €10,000 from the scheme, which will fund roughly a third of its costs.

“Funds are very important to improve the event’s logistics and bring bigger acts,” says Morales.

Separate to the initiative, Malta has hosted Europe’s biggest free music festival, Isle of MTV, annually since 2007. Attracting crowds in excess of 50,000, it has welcomed acts such as Lady Gaga, Rita Ora, Enrique Iglesias, Marshmello and Bebe Rexha.

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