Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546942
9 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2026 CULTURE minate in a large-scale visual and sonic projection onto the Ċittadella bastions and local windmills. 31 homes will become cultural spaces Under Tberik | Blessings, the bid prom- ises 31 home residencies. Artists will work within people's homes and communities, bringing cultural activity into domestic spaces rather than keeping it inside con- ventional cultural venues. The project forms part of the Gżira Ssir | An Island Becomes strand, which focuses on transformation, participation and the future. Young people will get their own programme Ġenerazzjoni 31 is a youth leadership scheme intended to run in partnership with Cáceres 2031. The bid envisages young people being involved in leadership, cul- tural participation and international ex- change. This is part of the wider promise that young Gozitans should not simply be au- diences for the Capital of Culture but par- ticipants in shaping it. A permanent archive of memories Another concrete legacy project is Arkivju Ħaj | A Living Archive. Victo- ria31 promises to establish a communi- ty archive in Victoria, with trained Story Collectors gathering oral histories, docu- ments, photographs, memories and other material from communities across Gozo. The material is intended to be digitised and subsequently used for cultural, edu- cational and artistic purposes. So one of the things Victoria31 is prom- ising to leave behind is not just buildings and events, but a permanent digital and physical record of contemporary Gozan life. A new digital platform The bid also promises App31, which is intended to become the central digital platform for the Capital of Culture. It is supposed to bring together: • information about events; • geo-located projects; • digital cultural routes; • participation; • archive material; • oral submissions for L-Ittra 31; and au- dience tracking. In practical terms, the intention is for people to have one digital entry point for the 2031 programme. There will be new opportunities for artists Victoria31 is not promising that every project has already been decided. The bid specifically reserves 25% of the artistic programme for open calls be- tween 2027 and 2030. These calls are intended to provide op- portunities for emerging practitioners, local artists and international residency projects. So, while the bid already names major projects and artists, a quarter of the pro- gramme is deliberately left open for new proposals. Volunteers will be trained Volunteer 31 is another specific pro- gramme. The bid promises a dedicated volun- teer-development scheme covering areas including: • accessibility; • sustainability; • event management; • community engagement. The aim is to create a trained pool of volunteers capable of supporting the pro- gramme and, ultimately, strengthening the local cultural sector. A programme running before and after 2031 The title year itself is only the centre of the programme. Victoria31's Ħjut Ħajjin | Living Threads is designed as a contin- uous capacity-building programme cov- ering mapping, international mobility, mentorship, professional training and implementation. The objective is to strengthen the peo- ple and organisations delivering culture in Gozo rather than simply employing them for one year. The bid's operating budget runs from 2027 to 2032, while evaluation and legacy work continues until 2034. €43.2 million to run Victoria31 All of this sits within an operating budget of €43.2 million for 2027–2032. The bid allocates approximately: €30 million to the artistic programme €7 million to promotion and marketing €4.8 million to wages, overheads and ad- ministration and around €1.4 million to research, monitoring and other expend- iture. The bid also sets a target of €3 million in private sponsorship. This is separate from the €188 million capital investment programme. Victoria31 promises to measure what happens The bid also contains a specific moni- toring commitment. The University of Malta is expected to independently monitor around 50 key performance indicators covering four ar- eas: • community; • economy; • space; • knowledge transfer; The evaluation is divided into four stages: • 2026–2027: research design and data infrastructure. • 2028–2030: baseline and ex-ante eval- uation. • 2031: real-time monitoring during the title year. • 2032–2034: assessment of the legacy and longer-term impact. The Foundation is also expected to publish annual strategy implementation reports, with annual feedback briefs to policymakers from 2029. The Foundation wants to stay after 2031 FVictoria31 is promising an institution- al legacy. The foundation says it will seek to become a permanent Public Cultural Organisation under Arts Council Malta. That is a stated objective rather than a status already secured. But if achieved, it would mean the or- ganisation created for Victoria 2031 could continue operating after the title year. The bid also proposes a permanent European Islands Network, bringing to- gether island cities for artistic mobility, peer learning and sustainable tourism. So, what should people actually expect? If Victoria31 delivers the bid as written, the changes people should be able to see are considerably more concrete than sim- ply "more culture". By 2030, the bid says Gozo should have new or upgraded cultural infrastructure, including the Gozo Museum, Vajrinġa Centre, artists' facilities, Carnival work- shops and restored heritage sites. There should also be public-space im- provements, upgraded connectivity and new vessels forming part of the wider capital programme. From 2027 onwards, artists, cultur- al organisations and volunteers should have new training, mobility and open- call opportunities. By 2031, audiences should be able to expect a programme built around six themes, including 365 sunrise and sunset encounters, participatory dance, home residencies, festivals, exhibitions, music, storytelling, football, games, traditional band culture and new commissions. And behind it all, Victoria31 says it will create an archive, a digital platform, a youth programme, a European island network and a permanent institutional legacy. That is the actual promise contained in the bid book: not simply that Victo- ria will host a year of events, but that by the time the year arrives, a substantial amount of physical infrastructure, cul- tural infrastructure and organisation- al capacity is supposed to already be in place. bid book, and what we can expect Gozo Museum in Victoria, with €12 million allocated in the Bianchi/MaltaToday) The cultural programme is accompanied by an identified €188 million capital investment programme (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)