Watch: Malta’s only (and possibly first) drag bar opens in Sliema

Two Maltese icons, drag performer Chucky and the popular pastizzi brand Sphinx, have teamed up to open Sirena, Malta’s only and, in all likelihood, first dedicated drag show bar.

Located in the heart of Sliema, the bar is a first for Malta in that it has been designed and launched specifically around drag performance and will be a permanent venue providing a regular home for the art form.

Chucky, who is 32 years old and has been performing professionally for eight years across Malta and the UK, said Malta's drag scene was lacking such a place.

“Malta has a great drag scene. It just had no home. And kind of that's what we were looking to do. It's like I just want a home where everyone feels comfortable. Obviously, that includes straight people as well. When I say everyone, I mean everyone,” said Chucky.

This is not just another bar that happens to host drag acts. It's a space where drag is the main event, week in, week out, the sort of offering one might associate with jazz bars or comedy clubs. In this case, just replace jazz with drag.

Chucky said that while Malta has long hosted events featuring drag artists, the country lacked a consistent venue to nurture the community.

“I'm not saying we're the first bar to have drag shows,” Chucky said. “However, are we the first drag show bar? Perhaps. I mean, the one that has a weekly show, and I don't think there was ever a bar specifically built.”

Malta’s queer history remains only partially documented. While organisations such as ARC and MGRM, along with historians, have made strides in recovering and preserving it, the timeline is still incomplete. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in 1973, and much of the community’s earlier history went unrecorded.

Figures like il-Bobbie, Sugar and Ġużi tal-Cario were known drag performers in areas such as Strada Stretta and Balzunetta. Drag acts were also part of the Buskett Roadhouse events in the 1960s and the 1990s club scene, but never had a permanent venue of their own.

Chucky acknowledged this gap: “From the 90s to around 2018 there was a bit of a dip. There was none of it. When I was growing up, I didn't know any drag queens as drag queens. That's what's nice to see, that there has been such a resurgence.”

For Chucky, Sirena is about more than just nightlife. It is about cultural visibility, artistic expression, and community building.

While Sirena is currently the only official drag bar on the island, Chucky said they would welcome others opening: “If another one opens and I no longer have the only one, good. More drag is good, and more queer spaces are good.”

Sirena officially opened on Friday, November 14, although it had been quietly hosting events for several weeks before its launch. The venue runs a consistent weekly schedule: drag bingo on Fridays and a drag show on Saturdays, with further events in the pipeline.

“Down the line, I want to have more than just drag. I want to have queer singers, queer poetry, open stages,” Chucky said. “To me, the most important part is having that space for queer artists of any kind.”

The idea to open a drag bar originally came from Sphinx’s Vinu Muscat, who had previously suggested the project when Chucky was still based in the UK.

At the time, Chucky had just moved to Glasgow to pursue their drag career and needed to remain there for four more years to meet visa requirements. Muscat told them to get in touch when the time was right, and that is exactly what happened.

Sirena is now open daily from 9am to midnight. By day it serves coffee and café food from Sphinx; by night it transforms into a bar and every weekend, it serves drag.