More than just numbers

Owen Bonnici (Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.)

A huge crowd of 70,000 people celebrated the start of 2026 in Valletta at an event organized by the Valletta Cultural Agency. Valletta, now formally recognised by the Constitution as Malta's capital city, shone in its splendour.

The beautiful fireworks display and a strong lineup of local and foreign musicians and artists made the start of 2026 truly memorable.

A lot of work and effort went into the event by the Valletta Cultural Agency, led by Jason Micallef and his team of hardworking men and women. The impressive crowd of 70,000, including Maltese and tourists, young and elderly, braved the cold temperatures and wet skies to make it to Valletta for the event, which has grown rapidly over the past few years and is now the biggest outdoor event of the year. This year's activity saw the participation of several local artists, including Glen Vella, Aidan Drakard, Denise, Gaia, Karin Duff, Keith Zammit Mintoff, Klinsmann, and Miriana Conte, among others. In addition, artist John Newman, who was the highlight of the show, also participated.

The show was accompanied by a pyrotechnic display lasting almost half an hour from the Grand Harbour, which also welcomed dozens of people who chose to follow the display.

Our beautiful Cottonera also welcomed the New Year with a show that saw the participation of the musical group Kantera and the artists Matthew James and Ira Losco. This activity was organized by the Cottonera Foundation, which also expanded the show offered to hundreds who chose to welcome the New Year from here.

Gozo too celebrated the beginning of 2026 with a beautiful and very well-organized event. Those who chose this activity enjoyed the performance put on by DCapitals Big Band and DJ Ryan Spiteri. The highlight was reached by the group Eiffel 65.

These three activities were supported by the Ministry responsible for Culture, Lands, and Local Government, which I have the extraordinary privilege of leading; the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government, under the helm of my colleague, Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civilli; and the Ministry for Gozo, led by my colleague Minister Clint Camilleri.

€1.5 billion

The film service industry in Malta has contributed approximately €1.5 billion to our economy, while supporting more than 15,000 jobs in the last eight years. During this period, 200 international productions were made in Malta, with a budget of €730 million.

The film service industry has not only created thousands of new jobs, but has, indirectly, led to an economic boom in many other sectors, namely the catering and accommodation industry, crafts and technical services, all of which benefit from the film industry. The Labour government's investment in this sector has generated four times more than it spent, a fact that proves how the film industry is a true economic driver that is contributing concretely to growth and prosperity.

We are currently working towards the creation of the first global Land-Sea Super Stage, which will consolidate the dream of creating a world-class industry in our country. I thank Film Commissioner Johann Grech for his leadership, and all the individuals and companies that are pivotal to this sector's remarkable success.

€5.76 million

Unfailingly, every year, on the day after Christmas, the people of Malta and Gozo demonstrate their kindness and deep sense of solidarity towards our brothers and sisters in need. L-Istrina, now in its 30th edition, is Malta's main fundraising event, organized by the Malta Community Chest Fund, under the auspices of the President of the Republic.

This year's event was another extraordinary success: €5.76 million were donated by the people of Malta, with proceeds going to the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF). The broadcast was officially opened by President Myriam Spiteri Debono, together with Prime Minister Robert Abela, Opposition Leader Alex Borg, and Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

Funds collected during L-Istrina are used to support patients and their families facing serious illnesses, including cancer, and to assist those who require medical treatment abroad. Prime Minister Robert Abela, on behalf of the Government, announced a €100,000 donation from the Social Causes Fund.

€1.56 million

Id-Dar tal-Providenza, led by Mgr. Martin Micallef is the epitome of kindness and solidarity towards men and women who, due to disability, need care and respite at this extraordinary, Siggiewi, residence.

It is a well-known fact that 'id-Dar' as it is affectionately known by many, requires huge financial support throughout the year, which supports it gets from the people of Malta who contributed, generously, all year round, but especially on the first day of the new year when the "Festa ta' Ġenerożità" (feast of generosity) telethon, in aid of id-Dar tal-Providenza, is held.

This year proved to be another hugely successful event with €1,556,543 collected during the day-long telethon. Michael Falzon, Minister for Social Policy and Childrens' Rights, donated €25,000 on behalf of the Maltese government from the Social Causes Fund.

€32,000

Whilst many donate money during telethons and contribute towards charitable events, others go the extra mile. On the first day of 2026, ultra-endurance runner Zach Vella completed his six-day, 360-kilometre running challenge around Malta, raising €32,000 in support of YMCA Malta. Zach ran an impressive 60 kilometres a day for six consecutive days. It is a daunting task that requires incredible stamina and perseverance.  "I went into this challenge with no expectations, but what unfolded over the past six days was something truly special," Zach said. Well done, Zach. You are a true hero and well done to YMCA for their decades-long support towards people in need of care and shelter.

€ 437 million

The Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Tourism Ian Borg announced that during 2025, the Malta International Airport saw a record number of 10 million passengers. Meanwhile, in in October 2025, Malta saw 417,103 passengers entering our country through the Malta International Airport - this represents an increase of 17.3% compared to the same month in 2024. During the same month, the total number of nights spent by people in our country reached 2,564,811, while total expenditure reached 437.8 million euros.

That is a significant amount of money injected into our economy, or more precisely, in peoples' pockets. Despite the many challenges that an increasing amount of tourists has on a country's infrastructure, and our efforts to address these challenges, tourism remains a key pillar of Malta's economy, and we must ensure that it remains so. 

18 songs

18 songs shall be competing in the semifinal of the 2026 Malta Eurovision Song Contest. This year's line-up includes a mix of Eurovision veterans and fresh new talents. Out of the 18 artists, four are new to the Eurovision world. The semi-final will be held on January 15, while the final will be held on January 17. A jury and the public will select the winner, who will represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in May.

Fans can now listen to all the songs found on Spotify and YouTube and choose their favourite ahead of the live semi-final taking place later this month. The Government has been supporting, and shall continue to support, this event, which gives an important global platform to local artists. 

500 years

In my first article for this year, I wrote about a couple of books from my 2025 reading list. It was well received, with many sharing their favourite titles with me. I have been an avid reader since childhood, and it is a habit I have strongly maintained. Given the interest that the article generated, I intend to include a reference to the books I'll be reading throughout 2026.

During the Christmas holidays, I started reading Ray Dalio's 'Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order - Why Nations Succeed and Fail'. Dalio is the founder of the world's largest hedge fund. In this voluminous book, laden with graphs and data, Dalio translates the material into easily understood language. He studied 500 years of world history to identify recurring patterns behind the rise and fall of empires, offering principles to understand and prepare for today's changing world order. It is a very interesting book, and one cannot help but notice that, very often, history repeats itself.