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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 OCTOBER 2021 6 CULTURE ŻiguŻajg Arts for Children and Young People Festival 2021 returns between 19 and 28 November ŻIGUŻAJG Arts for Children and Young People Festival 2021 returns this Autumn between the 19th and 28th of November with an exciting live and digital programme of events bursting at the seams with dance, visual arts and theatrical productions for all the family to enjoy! That's right, this year ŻiguŻajg Festival will return to producing live theatre, created by local artists and creatives in collaboration with the festival. The hybrid programme caters for nearly half of its produc- tions as live shows whereas the remainder of the shows will be available on demand for all families to enjoy through our online streaming platform. Minister for the Nation- al Heritage, the Arts and Lo- cal Government José Herrera praised the festival for its ef- forts to make its events as ac- cessible as possible, following last year's successful switch to digital. He stated that "the tri- umphant levels reached during last year's edition have given us the impetus to aim even higher this time round, with this year's artistic programme promising some exceptional material for our children to experience,'' said the Minister. This year will also be the first year the festival introduces sen- sory friendly productions to its highly anticipated programme of events, whereby a selection of our live programme will have one sensory friendly event each. Fondazzjoni Kreattivita Chairman, Rupert Cefai ex- plained that "in the spirit of our artistic director's vision, we've also kept working to create a festival that is wholly inclusive, which is why we've introduced sensory-friendly performances to this year's programme." Sen- sory-friendly performances are designed to create a welcoming and comfortable arts experi- ence for people with specific sensory needs whereby public performances will be modified to appeal to those who have specific sensory requirements or preferences. Artistic director Marta Vella, acknowledged that this is a big ''baby step'' toward program- ming the festival that all audi- ences are used to but a step in the right direction nonetheless. A step which took months to plan and decipher through as Vella explained that, "You'll be undoubtedly aware that al- though the ŻiguŻajg Festival spans over a ten-day period in November, the preparations that lead up to it are an on- going process all year round. We've been working incessant- ly, even during the height of COVID-19." On the decision to stick to programming digital events, instead of going out with a fully live programme of events Vella concluded that "last year's dig- ital programme had taught us that, pandemic aside, getting to a theatre will not always be an option for a significant por- tion of our beloved audience. We've kept this in mind and at the heart of ŻiguŻajg, with ac- cessibility at the centre of our mission.'' ŻiguŻajg Executive André Mangion explained "that not- withstanding the obstacles that the cultural sector has been facing throughout the year, the team is very much pleased to be able to present a hybrid festival." ŻiguŻajg Arts for Children and Young People Festival 2021 will take place between the 19th and 28th of Novem- ber. For more information or to book your tickets please vis- it www.ziguzajg.org today! 19-28TH NOVEMBER 2021