Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542372
Nature Notebook FoEM Plant-Based themed month in February - Open Call for Restaurants This February, Friends of the Earth Malta is launching a plant-based themed month, and we're inviting restaurants across Malta to collabo- rate with us. FoEM has partnered with Eat for Impact, a global initiative that brings together cities, local organisations, restaurants, businesses and citizens to make sustainable, planet-friendly dining a reality. As part of their campaign, the NGO is calling on restaurants to join by creating two new, creative, climate-friendly specials for the month. Green idea of the week 1002 Find out more: https://foemalta.org/blog/open-call-restaurants/ Don't miss this Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Luna Park Wonderland Date: 4 January Location: Smart City, Kalkara, Malta Get ready for the South's first-ever Luna Park! This December, Shoreline Mall brings the excitement and sparkle of a true funfair to SmartCity - with dazzling lights, thrilling rides, and festive energy for all ages. Dream Welding – An exhibition by Leo Chircop Date: 8 January Location: Malta Society of Arts, Republic Street, Valletta, Malta Portraits daze with their unexpected composition – a body posed in lovely and rueful postures locked in an enigmatic reverie. A crash between traditional painting and the human nude. Bodies glint, oil-like. The sea occupies a transversal position in Chircop's Dream Welding – a series of photographs presented at the Malta Society of Arts in Valletta. Figuring in the background, the sea hinges between subject and object. At once, the skin and the organ of the image. In recent and growing discourse on the posthuman and on critical attention on the blueprint of the body, the sea has proven to be revelatory, along with notions of fluidity and porosity. It has, then, held a definitive position of indefinity. Beethoven & Mahler Date: 11 January Location: Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, Malta Austrian soprano Elisabeth Breuer joins the MPO led by Michael Laus, opening the programme with fiery emotion and vocal intensity in Beethoven's Ah! Perfido. Mahler's Symphony No. 4 takes listeners on a luminous journey of transcendence. With graceful melodies and delicate orchestration, it evokes a childlike view of the world, culminating in a soprano solo that imagines a serene, heavenly life. Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026 Date: 15, 17 January Location: MFCC - Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, Attard, Malta The Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is back. The semi finale will be held on 15 January and the finale will be held on 17 January. Tickets can be purchased from maltaeurovision.mt That "dreadful awful hole" in Pietà Date: 13 January Location: Malta Enterprise, Gwardamangia Hill, Pietà, Malta For nearly two centuries, Villa Frere has captivated visitors with its rich and varied history, and none of its features has stirred more curiosity than the mysterious "dreadful awful hole". Edward Said, founding volunteer of The Friends of Villa Frere, will uncover the story behind this intriguing landmark. Made With Love Artisan Fair Date: 31 January Location: Villa Rundle Gardens, Triq ir- Repubblika, Victoria Celebrate with us at the Made with Love Artisan Fair! Explore a delightful array of handcrafted treasures and unique, heartfelt goods perfect for gifting—or keeping just for yourself. Wander through an atmosphere brimming with creativity, charm, and inspiration, where every booth tells a story. From hand-poured candles and bespoke jewelry to artisanal home décor, local artwork, and one-of-a- kind fashion pieces, there's something special for everyone. Enjoy live music, interactive demonstrations, and tasty treats from local vendors as you shop, mingle, and support passionate makers from our community. Bring your family, friends, and loved ones for a day filled with laughter, discovery, and memories to cherish. Live Jazz Band with Wine & Charcuterie Date: 9, 16, 23 and 30 January Location: Spinola Café & Lounge Spinola Café & Lounge, St Julian's, Mlata Enjoy a night of live jazz music at Spinola Lounge. Sip on free-flowing wine, savor shared charcuterie boards, and relax in a refined yet relaxed atmosphere by the bay. Uncorked by Farsonsdirect Date: 1 Febuary Location: InterContinenta, St Julian's, Malta Join us for Uncorked Wine Portfolio Tasting, a rare opportunity to explore Farsonsdirect's full wine selection. For the first time, this extensive showcase is open to the public, inviting wine lovers, collectors, and curious beginners to discover an extraordinary range of bottles from around the world. 1003. Algerian Hedgehog DUE to Malta's small size and extensive human population, it's to be expected that we have very few wild mammals in Malta. Indeed, most of the ones we have aren't even native but were brought over by people from overseas. One of these is the Algerian (or vagrant) hedgehog, most probably introduced from North Africa. When this happened is unknown but it was pretty certainly long ago because the hedgehog (M. qanfud) is today widespread in Malta and Gozo. Secretive and largely nocturnal, it goes about its business, foraging for snails, slugs and other small animals in fields, gardens and road- sides, rolling into a ball of spines in the face of danger. While this defence is effective against its natural predators, this strategy proves invariably fatal when the danger is an oncoming car, as evidenced by the many roadkills that litter our country roads. When out driving in the dark in the countryside, please spare a thought for our spiky friend, and slow down. 5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JANUARY 2026 ALMANAC Victor Falzon, Alice Sicoli (photo)