Science in the City Transforms Valletta into Living Laboratory Bridging Malta’s Ancient Past with Future Innovation

**’Past Forward’ – Science in the City returns to Valletta**

Valletta’s streets will transform into an open-air laboratory this Friday as Science in the City returns with its 2024 edition, themed ‘Past Forward.’ The annual festival, Malta’s largest science and arts celebration, promises to bridge centuries of innovation through interactive exhibits, performances, and workshops scattered across the capital’s historic squares and palaces.

This year’s theme couldn’t be more fitting for a nation perched at the crossroads of civilizations. “Malta’s history is essentially one giant science experiment,” explains Dr. Edward Duca, the festival’s creative director. “From the temple builders who engineered Ġgantija 5,500 years ago to today’s iGaming pioneers, we’ve always been innovators adapting to our island constraints.”

The festival route weaves through Valletta’s baroque architecture like a timeline of human ingenuity. At Castille Square, visitors can witness 3D printers recreating Neolithic pottery fragments using techniques that would make our temple-building ancestors weep with envy. Meanwhile, at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, augmented reality installations overlay contemporary scientific concepts onto views of the Grand Harbour, where Phoenician traders once docked their revolutionary vessels.

Local participation runs deep. Over 200 Maltese scientists, artists, and students have collaborated to create installations that speak to island-specific challenges. The Institute of Earth Systems has constructed an interactive exhibit demonstrating how rising sea levels threaten Malta’s coastline, using real data collected from Buġibba to Marsaxlokk. Visitors can manipulate variables to see how different climate scenarios might reshape our familiar shoreline.

“Too often, science feels imported,” says Sarah Spiteri, a University of Malta researcher presenting her work on microplastic pollution in Maltese waters. “This festival lets us show how local researchers tackle problems that affect our daily lives – from water scarcity to heritage preservation.”

The cultural significance extends beyond education. In a country where festa season defines summer, Science in the City has become an autumn tradition that reimagines celebration through discovery. Food stalls manned by molecular gastronomy students from ITS offer deconstructed versions of traditional Maltese dishes – think rabbit confit transformed into edible foam, or honey rings reimagined as popping candy.

Children scurry between stations collecting stamps in their “research passports,” while grandparents who’ve lived through Malta’s transformation from British colony to EU member state watch holographic displays explaining quantum computing. It’s this intergenerational dialogue that festival organizers cherish most.

“Last year, a 92-year-old woman told me she finally understood what her grandson meant when he said he worked in AI,” volunteers Maria Bezzina, a University student guide. “She connected it to the first computers arriving in Malta in the 1960s. That’s the ‘Past Forward’ magic – making tomorrow’s technology accessible through yesterday’s experiences.”

The economic impact shouldn’t be overlooked. Hotels report 30% occupancy increases during festival weekend, while restaurants along Strait Street create science-themed menus. Tech companies use the opportunity to recruit local talent, setting up booths where students can program robots or test virtual reality applications.

As Valletta prepares for another night where past meets future, the festival embodies Malta’s unique position in the Mediterranean – a place where ancient temples stand beside blockchain conferences, where traditional fishing boats share harbours with superyachts equipped with satellite communications.

Science in the City doesn’t just showcase innovation; it celebrates Malta’s evolution from mysterious temple builders to tech-savvy islanders who’ve always understood that survival means adaptation. In linking our prehistoric past to our digital future, the festival reminds us that every Maltese generation has been revolutionary in its own way.

The laboratories close at midnight, but the conversations continue in Valletta’s wine bars and cafés, where researchers debate with historians, and teenagers explain coding to their puzzled parents. Tomorrow, the city returns to its role as EU capital, but tonight, it belongs to curiosity itself.