The Malta Book Festival Opens Tomorrow!

It’s finally time for the 2022 Malta Book Festival, which will be opening to the public tomorrow, Wednesday 23 November, The Festival caters to people from all walks of life with a varied programme of events and the participation of a record number of fifty exhibitors. For the second year running, the Festival will be held at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali (MFCC).

Highlights of the Events Programme include the participation of three international guests, amongst which bestselling author of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas John Boyne –  who will be appearing on stage for a meet-the-author show for school children on Friday 25, as well as in a conversation with Leanne Ellul about his most recent publication All the Broken Places. The other international guest is Maltese-American cartoonist Joe Sacco, a household name in the industry, who will be signing books following what promises to be an intriguing interview with chief reporter on environment, planning and land use issues at Malta Today James Debono. Award-winning illustrator Gattaldo will be delivering an exclusive illustration workshop for children between seven and twelve years of age, and participating with Joe Sacco, Joanna Demarco and Teodor Reljić in the panel discussion about visual storytelling ‘What’s an image worth’.

A buffet of events, including events specifically catering to industry professionals, will be available including a ‘Literary Speed-Dating’, a unique opportunity to meet different actors in the publishing process; the exhibition From Illustration to Book, exploring the evolution of illustration in Malta, as well as the launch of the 2022 Novels for Youth Literary Contest, in collaboration with Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, and an event paying tribute to Mario Azzopardi – a pivotal image in the Maltese cultural scene.

The 2022 Malta Book Festival will be greeting ten thousand school children over three days, with shows produced by Żigużajg based on winning children’s books of the 2022 Terramaxka Prize for ages 0-8 and 8-12 years, as well as other events from the Festival’s calendar.

In the spirit of inclusion, and thanks to the collaboration with Inspire Foundation, a Sensory-Friendly Room will be set up inside the Rainbow Hall, offering an autism-friendly space for children on the spectrum to have access to storytelling activities in a safe and inclusive environment.

The Energy and Water Agency will also be present at the Festival, lending itself to children, presenting reading sessions and scientific experiments linked to the security, sustainability and affordability of energy and water.

The 2022 Malta Book Festival runs between 23-27 November at the following opening hours: on Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-1pm and 5:30pm-9pm; on Friday from 9am-1pm and 5:30pm-10pm; on Saturday from 9:30am-10pm, and on Sunday from 9:30am-8pm.

The full programme of events for the 2022 Malta Book Festival is available online here. For the latest updates, please follow the NBC website, and the NBC Facebook page and 2022 Malta Book Festival Facebook event page.