€10m events fund launched in midst of election campaign

Creative industry stakeholders have raised concerns about a €10 million funding scheme for A-list music events launched during an election campaign.

They warned it was issued with little notice, a tight application deadline and no prior consultation.

The large-scale events support scheme (LSESS), which offers grants of up to €2 million per project for events featuring internationally recognised headliners, was published last week with a May 15 deadline, giving producers just three weeks to submit their applications.

The fund is being administered by Festivals Malta. In the past, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) distributed funds to help bring headliner artists to Malta.

The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) told Times of Malta it had held several meetings with the MTA in the past about the distribution and allocation of public funds for events.

“However, we were never advised, nor made aware of, any shift in how these funds would be restructured or administered,” association president Maria Galea said.

MEIA has since sent questions to Festivals Malta asking whether the €10 million allocation is the same fund previously managed by the MTA.

It is also seeking clarifications on the short application time frame, the lack of prior consultation and the safeguards in place to ensure funds are distributed fairly.

“We are not questioning the importance of large-scale events. However, the scale and direction of this allocation, particularly its strong focus on music-led international events, raises serious concerns about imbalance across the wider cultural ecosystem.”

Galea said Malta needs a clear national strategy for events and festivals, as well as a cultural tourism strategy that sets out priorities, ensures balance across sectors and aligns public investment with long-term cultural development goals.

Times of Malta also sent questions to Festivals Malta. 

Who can apply?

Local producers hoping to tap into the scheme could struggle to qualify.

Category 1 applicants seeking up to €2 million for events featuring A-list artists must show at least 10 years’ experience and must have produced at least three events in the last three years, each with budgets exceeding €2 million.

Even for Category 3, the lowest tier, applicants must have produced two projects in the past two years with budgets of at least €500,000.

Creative producer and Culture Vulture founder Toni Attard also raised concerns about the scheme, particularly its timing during an election campaign.

“This is not the time for such schemes,” he said. “The scheme should be suspended, and Festivals Malta should consult with stakeholders once the election has passed.”

Attard also pointed to what he described as a sharp disparity between the support available for music-led international events and that available for other artistic disciplines.

“Why can’t there be a level playing field for programmers and promoters who are trying so hard to host international festivals and events in other sectors such as theatre, film or dance? They currently have to compete for much smaller amounts,” he remarked.

He also highlighted the effort needed to secure other public cultural investment.

“Producers fought so hard to secure a €2 million film fund for 38 beneficiaries, while Festivals Malta gives out a fund of this scale for a foreign artist.”However, he insisted he was not saying that the fund should not exist. “It needs clearer rules and guidelines that also help small- and medium-sized organisations build capacity,” he said.