The Travellers will be part of the line-up for Malta’s New Year’s Eve celebrations taking place in Pjazza San Ġorġ, Valletta, this year.
The celebrations, which will be hosted by Vibe FM’s Drivetime Trio, Nate, Frank and Rossi, will also feature special guests Kevin Paul, Gaia Cauchi and Kurt Calleja.
These are some of the acts that were announced on Thursday by the Valletta Cultural Agency and the music events organiser G7 events, for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The square is expected to be lit up by a series of 3D map projections emblazoned across the Presidential Palace and a series of choreographed fireworks, in the run-up to the countdown to New Year.
Last year’s New Year’s celebrations we saw an unprecedented number of people like never before. Between 60 and 70,000 people came to Valletta
Owen Spiteri, the director of G7 events, explained that if the weather is good, more than 40,000 people were expected to head to the capital to celebrate but families would likely leave before the countdown.
“Usually what we notice is that people with families and small kids tend to come between 7.30 and 10.30pm but not stay until the early hours. All Valletta is full and that’s nice to see. A few years ago Valletta used to be empty,” he said.
Additional buses and ferries to Sliema and Cospicua have also been laid on, as well as extended hours for the Barrakka lift to accommodate the anticipated numbers.
When asked about possible public transport issues which could come of such an event, Mr Spiteri explained that while he was not responsible for the transport situation, the number of people attending last year’s event was unexpected and Malta Public Transport did its best.
“Last year’s New Year’s celebrations saw an unprecedented number of people. Between 60 and 70,000 people came to Valletta,” Mr Spiteri explained.
“Malta Public Transport do try to make an effort to put in the resources on the night. You have to understand that while there are a lot of people celebrating, there are a lot of people working on the night. You have to understand that the people who are working are trying to give what they can but if there are thousands and thousands, people need to wait a bit,” he added.
When asked about the crowds potentially putting people off from going to the celebrations, Mr Spiteri said a ring-road scheme would be used for people to flow in from Republic Street and leave through Merchant Street.
He added that visitors would not come purely for the events in Pjazza San Ġorġ.
“The nice thing about the New Year’s Eve celebrations isn’t just what happens in Pjazza San Ġorġ. It’s about spending the night in the city, just like in other capitals in the world,” he explained.