Malta Book Festival 2024 packed with activities for all ages and book lovers

The Malta Book Festival (MBF 24) will come packed with a variety of activities for all ages and book lovers, with storytelling sessions and theatre shows aimed at children to workshops, book signings and more, a programme making good on this year’s theme of #bindingworlds.

“All readers know that books contain multitudes, and I’m proud to say that the Malta Book Festival continues to celebrate the beautiful potential of the written word with a dynamic series of activities that are sure to attract a healthy crowd,” National Book Council chairman Mark Camilleri said. 

Taking place at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali between 6 and 10 November, MBF 24 will provide a number of inclusive events aimed at children and other young readers.

The Sensory Room – run by Inspire Malta with support by APS Bank – will allow persons on the spectrum to enjoy age-appropriate storytelling sessions, while the Energy and Water Agency (EWA) will also hold readings that seek to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation and biodiversity.

Meanwhile, the National Literacy Agency will organise readings for various age groups – ranging from 0 to 12 – that cultivate the pleasure of reading. 

And this year, it is dynamic theatre-maker Steve Hili who will lead the way on the festival’s theatre shows for children, with the Supercharged Story Slam aimed at primary school children while The Great Imagination Heist takes secondary school kids on a quest to steal the imagination of a celebrated author. Both shows draw inspiration from Terramaxka Prize winning books and once again serve as a reminder of how literature can bridge the gap between both audiences and genres. 

The festival will also allow for more hand-on experiences of literary creation and production, through workshops on illustration, book-binding and the process of how a book comes together. 

“It is crucial to emphasise the hard work that goes into the creation of a finished book. Through engaging activities that will be of interest to a varied age cohort, the NBC, in collaboration with esteemed practitioners in the field, will celebrate the people that make books happen, while inviting the audience for an interactive peek into this beautiful process,” Camilleri said. 

Aside from book launches and signings by both local and international participants, the festival will also feature events aimed at visitors keen to take the pulse of the international book industry, as well as those eager to hone their craft with the help of the very best. 

As announced recently, MBF 24 special guest, the bestselling UK author Anthony Horowitz, will be delivering a creative writing masterclass drawing on his hugely successful formula for crafting addictive genre fiction, while literary agent Jonathan Lloyd (Curtis Brown) will be speaking to Kat Storace (Praspar Press) about the realities of being an agent to the literary superstars. 

“With more events being announced in the coming weeks, and a full programme launched closer to the festival dates, the NBC is confident that book lovers across the island will find plenty to be excited about for this year’s edition of the event, which remains the largest celebration of book culture in Malta,” Camilleri said.