For the second consecutive year, the men and women of Birgu have come together to organise their annual Ziblata event, raising significant funds for Id-Dar tal-Providenza, which provides residential services to persons with disabilities.

The event, comprising the Birgu Boys’ Night Out and the Birgu Girls’ Night Out — collectively known as Ziblata, a drinking event — was held on Friday night, giving locals the opportunity to socialise while contributing to a worthy cause.

Nine years ago, Chris Cassar, Jeffrey Grixti, and Marlon Galea conceived the initiative as a purely social event. However, last year, the trio realised it could also serve as a fundraising platform for long-standing local efforts to support Id-Dar tal-Providenza.

Fr Avellino, based at St Lawrence’s Church in Birgu, has raised €40,000 over the past 15 years for the charity.

“It gives me a lot of encouragement to see the community embrace the spirit of giving. It’s Christmas, after all, and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

He said hoped to raise a total of €5,000 by the start of the New Year, with Ziblata having contributed €2,000 by Saturday afternoon.

Cassar, who joined some 120 men at the Bocci Club in Żabbar on Friday afternoon said it was the "one time we meet outside Birgu,” joking the group had "planned the timings so that when we got home, we could relax without being told off."

Birgu Boys Club Photo: Chris Cassar

While the men began organising their night years ago, the women joined the tradition only two years ago when Cassar and Galea’s wives, Maria Cassar Inguanez and Galea, decided to create their own event.

This year, a group of around 60 women gathered at the Wild West in Birgu on Friday evening after the mens' event.

“They told us we couldn’t pull off an event as good as theirs, so we decided to prove them wrong,” quipped Inguanez.

Highlighting how many women rarely get the chance to go out during the festive season due to work and family responsibilities, she said it was "so nice to catch up with friends, have a drink, and help someone in the process.”

To donate, contact Chris Cassar on: +356 7711 7470.