A Farsons distribution truck
A group of sailors on the steps of the Main Reception of the Farsons Brewery following a tour of the Brewery
A troupe of bubbly burlesque dancers will bring more than a fiery touch of nostalgia to Strait Street in Valletta on June 25 when Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, together with Fondazzoni Temi Zammit will be organising a night down memory lane.
The Kabuki Guns Burlesque troupe will conjure flashes of colour and verve reminiscent of the good old days of Strada Stretta.
“The show will bring in a spirited touch of the 1950s with the glitz and glamour that those heady days were known for,” a spokesman for the troupe said.
The night will recall not only the great amount of servicemen who made this famous alley their haunt, but also the sheer gallons of beer by Farsons that were sold every day down The Gut, as British servicemen had affectionately christened the street.
Farsons’ early days date back to1880 when the brewers H & G Simonds of Reading, UK established a branch at Pinto Wharf in Grand Harbour supplying the British garrison with the golden tipple.
Former servicemen who visit the island make it a point to order Hopleaf, Cisk and Blue Label to recall the happy days they spent here, most of them when they were in their early twenties.
The other actor in this event, Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit has been striving to turn Strait Street into a lively hub of creative industries by spawning an incubator for culture and the arts.
The Fondazzjoni is currently holding an art exhibition at The Splendid, a former guest house for servicemen along Strait Street.
The house lies a couple of doors up the street as one takes the left turn from Archbishop Street.
The binding element of this night will be the book, Strada Stretta: It-triq li darba xegħlet il-Belt by George Cini.
The book is a tapestry of the street as painted through a series of interviews by some of the more colourful characters that left their mark on the history of this mecca for men who plied the oceans and the skies.
The evening starts at 7.00pm and will also include a talk by George Cini and the reading of excerpts from his book by two actors.