15th edition of Science in the City is launched

For 15 years, Science in the City has invited Malta to stop, look closer and ask questions. Having grown into a well loved national event, it’s supported by over 600 volunteers, 100 organisations, 80 researchers, and local and international artists and performers.

On Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September 2026, from 6–11pm, the street festival returns to the Triton Fountain in Valletta, transforming the area into a vibrant space for discovery and exchange. More than 90 stands, experiments, games and installations will invite visitors to meet researchers, artists and organisations and explore how science and creativity help us understand the world around us.

On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2026, the Performance Festival (funded by Arts Council Malta’s Arts Support Scheme) will bring science-inspired theatre, comedy, magic, music and workshops to Sala San Duminku in Valletta, and other venues, offering audiences another way to encounter performers, researchers, ideas and human experiences through live performance.

This year's theme, research, resist, reimagine, is an invitation to participate. Research asks us to better understand the challenges shaping Malta today, from our environment and public health to technology and culture. Resist encourages us to question outdated assumptions, confront the issues affecting our communities, and recognise that positive change begins with informed, critical thinking. Reimagine invites us to explore new ideas, embrace creativity and work together to build a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for Malta.

“Science in the City has always been about more than communicating science,” said Edward Duca, Festival Coordinator, University of Malta and Malta Chamber of Scientists. “It is about creating moments where people can meet, question, discover and imagine together. After 15 years, we are still inspired by the same belief: that research belongs to everyone, and that every person has a role in shaping the future of our island, which sorely needs more investment in Malta’s research.”

The Street Festival will bring together projects exploring health, technology, sustainability, culture and the environment. Visitors will be encouraged to participate rather than simply observe. Among this year’s projects, Ariel Thomas will explore whether hidden freshwater resources beneath the seafloor could offer new possibilities for water security. The University of Malta’s Faculty of ICT will invite visitors to experiment with AI, VR and AR, robotics, coding and logic games.

Arts and science will meet in projects such as Turn Off the Lights. Turn On the Sky, where artist Pep Walls and Professor Joseph Caruana will build a darkroom in Triton with a wooden map of Malta inside it. The map will have 30 illuminated points showing how artificial light affects our view of the night sky, our mental health and the animals around us. These projects demonstrate what happens when research leaves its traditional spaces and becomes something people can touch, question and experience together.

The Performance Festival continues this conversation through theatre. L-Eredi tas-Silenzji by Rowena Zammit with the support of the Richmond Foundation, VisitMalta, Arts Council Malta and The Farsons Foundation explores the expectations, pressures and silences that shape everyday lives, inviting adult audiences to question how individual experiences connect with wider society. Award winning concert pianist and former Shazam software developer Charlie Hooper-Williams will combine music, technology and generative visuals through a system that responds to pitch, dynamics, texture and speed, allowing audiences to explore the relationship between human performance and technology.

Researcher and performer James Ciarlo said, ”I have been presenting at Science in the City since 2013. And what those audiences taught me is that the problem was never the subject, it was how scientists communicated it. In an age where misinformation spreads faster and more comfortably than evidence does, that matters enormously. This year we are fighting false narratives with facts and with humour, by taking real research experience into a bar in Valletta as stand-up comedy [with our event Peer-Reviewed Punchline].”

This year also marks a new chapter for the festival. By separating the street and performance festivals, audiences will have more time and space to experience the distinct character of each programme, creating opportunities for deeper engagement and more meaningful encounters. Free tickets to all events can be booked on https://bit.ly/SITC2026MainEvents

Attending the press conference is Luke Dalli, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Arts Council Malta (ACM) who emphasises, "Science in the City is a powerful example of what can happen when science and the arts come together. The artistic projects and creative experiences within this year’s programme show how art can help us explore scientific ideas in new and engaging ways, while encouraging curiosity, dialogue and participation. At Arts Council Malta, we are proud to support this important part of the festival through the Arts Support Scheme and to contribute to a programme that brings artists, researchers and the public together to question, experiment and reimagine the world around us.”

Karen Fiorini, the Festival Manager, stated ”a successful festival is not measured only by how many people attend. It is measured by whether someone leaves feeling heard, curious, empowered or inspired to do something differently. When we bring researchers, artists and communities together, we create the possibility for people not just to understand the challenges facing Malta, but to become part of imagining and creating the solutions.”

For more information about the events programme and a list of participants of this year’s festival, visit the website https://scienceinthecity.org.mt/