{"id":59906,"date":"2026-09-15T15:00:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T14:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=59906"},"modified":"2026-09-15T15:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T14:00:50","slug":"malta-prepares-to-host-the-junior-eurovision-song-contest-2026-next-october","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/malta-prepares-to-host-the-junior-eurovision-song-contest-2026-next-october\/","title":{"rendered":"Malta prepares to host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 next October"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Preparations for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026, which will be held in our country next October, have entered their final stages. This is a testament to the Government&#8217;s commitment to making Malta a centre of cultural and creative activity on an international level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) has officially unveiled the Junior Eurovision 2026 stage, developed around the concept of &#8216;Festa&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage Malcolm Paul Agius Galea stressed that the fact that Malta is hosting this competition for the third time is testament to our country&#8217;s capacity to organise large-scale international productions, while creating more opportunities for Maltese professionals in the cultural, creative and broadcasting sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image alignleft uagb-block-dc963266 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-left\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488a.jpg ,http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488a.jpg 780w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488a.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-59908\" width=\"432\" height=\"300\" title=\"Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage Malcolm Paul Agius Galea\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;For us, Junior Eurovision is not just an international spectacle. It is an opportunity for Malta to showcase what it has to offer \u2013 a strong culture, a distinct identity, local talent and professionals capable of delivering top-level productions. As a Government, we are committed to continuing to create opportunities for Maltese creativity to grow, strengthen and reach audiences beyond our shores,&#8221; said Minister Agius Galea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Minister also referred to this year&#8217;s creative concept &#8216;Il-Festa&#8217;, which takes its inspiration from the traditional Maltese feast and delivers it in a contemporary way to an international audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The festival is a living expression of our culture and identity. It brings together communities, generations, tradition and creativity. Through this concept, we are taking an element that is so dear to the Maltese people and giving it an international platform. This is a clear example of how our culture can remain grounded in its roots while looking forward,&#8221; continued the Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PBS Chief Executive Keith Chetcuti said that, with the support of the Government, PBS is continuing to strengthen its ambition to deliver international standard productions, based on local talent and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three presenters of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be Gaia Cauchi, Destiny and Keane Cutajar. Gaia and Destiny are the two Maltese winners of the Junior Eurovision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held at the MFCC on 24 October, and will bring together young talent from across Europe in Malta in a celebration of music, culture and creativity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_59906\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"59906\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preparations for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026, which will be held in our country next October, have entered their final stages. This is a testament to the Government&#8217;s commitment to making Malta a centre of cultural and creative activity on an international level. The Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) has officially unveiled the Junior Eurovision [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_59906\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"59906\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"thumbnail":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-150x105.jpg",150,105,true],"medium":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-300x211.jpg",300,211,true],"medium_large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"1536x1536":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"2048x2048":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_0x420":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_80x60":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-80x60.jpg",80,60,true],"td_218x150":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_324x400":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-324x300.jpg",324,300,true],"td_696x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_1068x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_100x70":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-100x70.jpg",100,70,true],"td_265x198":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-265x198.jpg",265,198,true],"td_324x160":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-324x160.jpg",324,160,true],"td_324x235":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-324x235.jpg",324,235,true],"td_356x220":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-356x220.jpg",356,220,true],"td_356x364":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-356x300.jpg",356,300,true],"td_533x261":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d-427x261.jpg",427,261,true],"td_534x462":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_696x385":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_741x486":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false],"td_1068x580":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr261488d.jpg",427,300,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Bernard Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Preparations for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026, which will be held in our country next October, have entered their final stages. This is a testament to the Government&#8217;s commitment to making Malta a centre of cultural and creative activity on an international level. The Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) has officially unveiled the Junior Eurovision&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59906"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59909,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59906\/revisions\/59909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}