Dawn of the Great Siege and Life at Sea 2015

On the eve of the 450th anniversary from the first sightings of the Ottoman fleet, Heritage Malta and Arts Council Malta will be treating adults and children alike to a day of culture and entertainment in an event entitled ‘Dawn of the Great Siege’.

This year the ‘Life at Sea’, the annual event organised by Heritage Malta at the Malta Maritime Museum, promises to be even more exciting than usual. Apart from a number of special tours, events and lectures at the Malta Maritime Museum, this year the event will be extended outside the museum and in the Birgu square where a number of re-enactments, food stalls, performances, a harbour cruise, children’s animation and other related activities will be held.

With events kicking-off at 9am, attendees of all ages and tastes will be able to participate in a jam-packed varied programme right up to 4pm.

A team of ten animators will be engaging children in a variety of crafts and activities ranging from facepainting to balloon modelling and shield and sword making.

Heritage Malta and the Arts Council Malta have teamed up with two local re-enactment groups to recreate the most historically accurate museum interpretations of the great siege to date. Get ready to meet the Order’s field sur- geon, the sailors who ferried the piccolo soccorso, and the mercenaries brought over by the Knights to defend their island home. The re-enactments will include sword fighting, a surgical operation as done during the time of the Knights Hospitallers, and cannon firing.

Medieval Band “Bibita” will be entertaining the crowds by means of a live concert whilst the Paul Curmi Dance Company will be holding two performances of traditional Maltese folk dancing. The programme also includes a short performance in remembrance of the entrance of Maltese refugees within the gates of Birgu for shelter.

The full programme also includes a harbour cruise which will leave the Birgu waterfront at 10am, focusing on the Great Siege. For more information about the harbour cruise and to book tickets please visit Heritage Malta’s official website www.heritagemalta.org.

The event is the first of a series of events being organized by Heritage Malta together with the Arts Council Malta and the Birgu Local Council to commemorate the 450th anniversary from the Great Siege of 1565. For the full programme of this event and others related to the Great Siege commemorations one may log on to www.heritagemalta.org/1565.