The New Year will be brought in with a bang, as fireworks make a return to Valletta's annual end-of-year celebration.

Up to 50,000 people are expected to join Malta’s countdown to 2024 in St George’s Square in Valletta, for an event that will feature a line-up of artists and local talent such as Emma Muscat and AIDAN.

Starting at 8.30pm on Sunday, the show will be an “enormous spectacle,” Valetta Cultural Agency Chairman Jason Micallef said on Friday.

“We have saved the best for last,” Micallef said, describing the event as the culmination of many seasonal events Valletta has been home to over the past few weeks.

Valletta has for years hosted a public New Year's Eve party, though the event was paused for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it returned last year, the celebration lacked one of the evening’s most iconic attractions: a fireworks display.

Rather than fund a fireworks show in Valletta, the tourism ministry last year opted to bankroll one in Mellieħa - Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo's hometown. 

But the pyrotechnics are returning to the capital city this year and attendees can expect a 15-minute fireworks display close to the countdown, Micallef said.

The stage is set for Sunday's bash. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Kickstarting the night will be Lara and the Jukeboys, followed by a series of special guests who include The Palace String Orchestra, AIDAN, Drakard, Jasmine, Sarah Bonnici and Emma Muscat.

Counting down to 2024 will be DJ Koroma and DJ Miggy while Ron, Taryn Mamo Cefai and Keane Cutajar will host the event.

“The NYE celebrations is an important moment for the Maltese population to come together,” Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said, noting how important it is to see so many people gather together.

“The biggest thing that hits me is… seeing all those people gathered in St George’s Square. It is a priceless sight,” he said, as people from different backgrounds and lifestyles gather “shoulder to shoulder”.

Public transport will operate extended hours on the night, promoting safe solutions for those who wish to drink during the celebration while also keeping the streets clear of congestion. Public lifts will also remain open past their usual hours.

For those unable to attend the event, which is free of charge, the celebration will be aired on various local TV channels such as TVM.

While the annual countdown is when the largest amount of people gather in the capital, Micallef remarked that Christmas events have attracted around 10,000 people to Valletta every day.

“Valletta has become populated… thanks to public funds which have allowed for such events,” he said.