The annual Farsons Great Beer Festival is back with the best beers in Malta from next Friday, 27th July to Sunday, 5th August 2007 at Ta’ Qali Park. Starting at 8pm every night, entrance to the festival is free with a vast parking area that is also free. Sponsors of this year’s edition include Malta Tourism Authority, Melita Digital, Vodafone and Fiat.
The Farsons Great Beer Festival is an open-air, ten-day festival filled with fun and entertainment for all the family. Organised annually since 1981, the festival is eagerly awaited by thousands of Maltese and is a magnet for tourists.
“The Festival is a celebration of Farsons’ brewing tradition which was first established in 1928. The various beers available include local and international award-winning brews. And for the first time this year, a special section will also be serving beers that are available exclusively in export markets – Farsons Strong Ale, Lacto Milk Stout, Cisk Red and Cisk Extra Strong,” said Mr Ray Grech, Chief Marketing Officer at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.
Mr Matthew Cuomo, Festival Organiser continued, “Beer plays a central role in the festival and the huge selection of great quality beers available at The Farsons Great Beer Festival are brewed or imported by Simonds Farsons Cisk. Local beers include Cisk Lager, Hopleaf Extra, Blue Label Smooth ‘N’ Creamy, Farsons Traditional Shandy, Shandy Lager & Lime and the recently launched Cisk Excel. International beer brands include Cisk Export, Carlsberg, Budweiser, Guinness, Newcastle Brown Ale, Kilkenny, John Smith’s, Beck's, and Corona.”
Commenting about the entertainment programme, Mr Ivan Filletti, Marketing Manager at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc said, “The nightly live entertainment by local artists is also an essential element of the event. Superb performances by Malta’s leading singers and bands on two different stages, guarantee to keep visitors coming again and again.”
The programme for the Main Area features mainstream artists such as Claudette Pace, William Mangion, Lawrence Gray, Ludwig Galea, Klinsmann, and Fabrizio Faniello. Malta’s representative in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Olivia Lewis will be on stage performing live with other artists such as Mike Spiteri, J Anvil and Marvic Lewis.
“Other performances by ZOO, a Musicals Night, and an 80s Party ensure a well-rounded entertainment line-up that will definitely interest everyone. And for the first time ever, The Farsons Great Beer Festival will also be live on Pjazza on TVM on the first night,” concluded Mr Filletti.
The second stage, the Rock Stage in the World Beers Area, features a host of alternative and rock bands and artists, such as Fakawi, Ira Losco, Chasing Pandora, Beangrowers, Rug, Fire, Scream Daisy, Mindstate and Winter Moods. After last year’s well-received and much talked-about performance by The Rifffs, the band will be regrouping again this year for The Farsons Great Beer Festival. Other bands include The Characters as well as Tribali, fresh from their experience in Glastonbury last month. The Rock Stage also features other young and upcoming bands and is an alternative night out for many young people.
A great range of food will be available at the Food Court to complement the beer and music: from Chinese to Turkish, German to Italian, as well as the usual favourites, burgers, hot dogs, kebabs and pizza.
Mr Cuomo also explained about this year’s Kids Fantasyland: “This year the kids area has been greatly improved and parents are assured that their children will be kept entertained and amused in the Kids Fantasyland at the festival. Presented by Curtain Raiser and delivering an amazing range of performing arts, hands-on workshops, arts and crafts, storytelling, and educational programmes, children will enjoy more than 15 different types of activities jam-packed with fun, and above all, education.”
“All in all, The Farsons Great Beer Festival is a great night out for the whole family. Open-air, under the summer sky, the festival offers not only great beer and food, but also free entertainment with over 50 live performances on two stages. With 26 years of success behind us, the festival just keeps getting better and better!” concluded Mr Cuomo.
This year’s official festival mug makes a worthy addition to any beer drinker’s mug collection. It can be purchased from the Souvenir Stall or from any of the bars filled with the beer of choice. Other souvenirs and special offers will also be available at the Souvenir Stall.
Due to embellishment works being carried out at the main entrance to the park, the public is advised to follow the signs to the secondary entrance which is closer to the main car park and leads directly to the festival site.
Other sponsors of this year’s edition include Atlas Insurance, Wilkinson Sword, Energizer, HSBC, Tuc, Algida and Alert Communications. The Rock Stage is hosted by Bay Radio. The Kids Fantasyland is sponsored by Chupa Chups.
For a full programme of the entertainment line-up please visit www.farsons.com/beerfestival.