Next September, the Maltese and Gozitan people will live ten days of celebration and spectacle, but also of work and commitment. Valletta and the rest of the Maltese islands will transform themselves into a rainbow of diversity.
The official program of EuroPride Valletta 2023 was presented during an activity in Pjazza Castilja which was attended by representatives of the LGBTIQ+ community, artists and volunteers who together are preparing for a European manifestation of equality that will take place in our country between the 7th and next September 17th.
EuroPride Valletta 2023 will create discussions and spur ideas, with debates on different themes with Maltese and foreign citizens. Among others, a dialogue with society will be held on September 8 led by the European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli.
Other talks will take place in meetings organized by the unions in the sector including MGRM, Drachma and Drachma Parents, LGBTI Gozo, the General Workers Union and the Chamber of Commerce. The Directorate for Human Rights will organize a conference with the aim of building stronger ties in the Mediterranean in favor of more LGBTIQ rights.
EuroPride Valletta 2023 will also bring with it a great show, free of charge. The official opening will take place in the Pride Village in Pjazza Tritoni and will spread throughout Valletta, where the Israeli singer and musician Netta, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018, will perform.
Every evening, in Pjazza Tritoni, concerts will be staged by various local and foreign artists. Among them Eurovision Night with the participation of Conchita from Austria, Katrina and The Waves from England, the rock band from Lithuania The Roop, and with them Chiara, Fabrizio Faniello, Claudia Faniello and many others.
There will also be concerts by Aiden, Glenn and Amber and MGRM with the theme Women’s Space, as well as tribute shows by Beyone, Lady Gaga and Cher, and a show by Kor Kwir – the first choir of the LGBTIQ community in Malta.
On September 9, after the Pride March in Ghawdex, a concert will be staged with a production by Glen Vella and the participation of the Versatile Brass Band together with 20 singers. And in Malta, after the Pride March on September 16, among the biggest concerts our country has ever had in recent years, with a show by the American singer Christina Aguilera.
EuroPride Valletta 2023 will also have a strong element of art and culture. The artistic director Toni Attard explained that the vision was to deliver a program of artistic diversity by the community and for the community. Among them Coco’s Klabb Kabaret, MalTease – the Queerlesque edition, different films in the Cinema of Spazju Kreattiv, and classical music by queer composers in a concert by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra at the Manoel Theatre.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms and Equality Rebecca Buttigieg said that the government is looking at EuroPride with pride. She reiterated that “Six years ago we were in Castile Square celebrating the introduction of equal marriage. At that time no one would have dreamed that Malta would advance so much and get to host EuroPride. Surely the Malta I grew up in is different from today’s Malta”.
She said that we not only want to celebrate the achievements of our country, but we must strive every day so that no one can reverse them. She claimed that Malta can serve as an example for other countries. She concluded with an appeal, “We have done a lot, our country now has a regulatory framework, so don’t let anyone ever make you feel uncomfortable with yourself or your friends”. President of the Allied Rainbow Communities Maria Azzopardi said that EuroPride was a dream come true and grew much more than what they had ever expected. She claimed that this celebration will be an opportunity to show the rest of the world how much value the introduction of equality can bring. “Our fight for equality has always been driven by one thing: our heart; our love for ourselves, our love for those people we choose to spend our lives with, our families, our friends, our community and not least our country,” said Maria Azzopardi.
