Science is fun at the Science in the City Festival

Palazzo Parisio in Merchant Street, as well as other venues and streets in Valletta will be jam packed with science experiments, live shows and fun activities for children.

The activities at Palazzo Parisio kick off at 6.00pm with 5⅟4 Games treasure hunt. Students aged 10 to 13 can sign up now to participate, by 'liking' the post on the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ScienceInTheCityMalta. Great prizes will be awarded and the winning team will be announced that same evening at 9.00pm.

Malcolm Galea's 'Everything you need to know about Science (More or Less)' is at 6:30pm. This play gets the wonderful world of science and cuts it down to size in the most fun way possible. Audiences are treated to a journey that starts from the smallest of particles and culminates in the mind-boggling ginormousness of the universe. Perfect for kids and curious adults alike, this interactive show incorporates crazy characters and props with live experiments to give a general overview of all things science while instilling an irresistible curiosity to learn more.

The play was first commissioned for the ZiguZajg Kids & Youth Arts Festival, 2012. Although created with a target age group of 10-16, it is bound to appeal to children and adults of all ages as long as they can sit through a one hour show. WARNING: If you wish to minimise your chances of getting soaked, disintegrated or eaten, we recommend that you don't sit towards the front! There are only 150 seats so the play will be repeated at 8pm.

In collaboration with Skolasajf, children have the opportunity to participate in a Science Journal Competition. Through this competition students experienced that science features in everything we do. With the help of the Fun in Science booklet, created specifically for this competition, we hope to have stimulated their curiosity, heightened their awareness of what is going on in the world around them, asked questions, experimented and investigated. In other words, they experienced what it feels like to be a researcher.

All the journals submitted will be exhibited on the night at the Palazzo Parisio and the winners announced during the Award Ceremony at 9pm. This will be followed by refreshments, courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Copies of the Fun in Science booklet will be distributed to the audiences during Science in the City at Palazzo Parisio. We believe that these booklets will help to instil a love for science in our younger generations. Would-be scientists, who always wanted to make a lava lamp or write secret messages, can come and collect a copy", said Karen Fiorini, Assistant Manager of the Science in the City Festival.

The Science in the City festival is supported by the EU's FP7 Programme and the Malta Arts Fund. The Science in the City festival event is coordinated by the Research Trust of the University of Malta (RIDT), and the Malta Chamber of Scientists in partnership with the Valletta Local Council, MEUSAC, the Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sports, European Commission Representation in Malta, MCST, Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, Where's Everybody, PBS, Notte Bianca, iCreatemotion, Vodafone, Valletta 2018 Foundation, Microsoft Innovation Centre and St James Cavalier.

The Science in the City Website will soon be updated with a programme and further details: www.scienceinthecity.org.mt; or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScienceInTheCityMalta