Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/460957
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2015 4 MARTINA BORG THIS year's King Carnival cel- ebrates the Landa Carnival Crew's 20 years of service to the Maltese, according to Clint Axisa, son of the late Charles Axisa, who is in charge of the construction of King Carni- val, along with his brothers. Charles Axisa, known everywhere for the staunch Carnival aficionado he was, lost his life in an explosion at the Bugibba Holiday Complex in 2013, at the age of 59, and he had been in charge of building the King Carnival f loat until his passing. His sons dedicated last year's King Carnival to his memory. "This year we are commemorat- ing the Landa company's 20th an- niversary, as can be seen in the rep- resentation of a cake on the front side of the f loat," Clint Axisa said, describing this year's f loat. "The back of the f loat is a repre- sentation of Valletta's beauty, with bastions and sections of the teatru rjal and King Carnival emerging from the centre of the buildings, to represent the fact that Valletta has always been central to Carnival ac- tivities," he added. According to Axisa, the f loat started being built back in August last year, but it had been planned much earlier than that, towards the end of last year's carnival. Minister for Culture Owen Bon- nici said that Carnival has always been a central part of the nation's culture, and as such people should do their best to safeguard and re- new the celebrations over the years. Bonnici mentioned parts of the programme for this year's Carnival events, including local and foreign bands, f loat parades and dance competitions, as well as the 'qar- cilla' event, a traditional practice that was revived last year and will be held in St John's Square. Bonnici said that the plans for the new carnival village at the Marsa shipbuilding, are aimed at breath- ing new life into carnival. "Carnival enthusiasts have been provided with shelter to build and store their f loats in warehouses at the ship-building site, which we will be visiting later on," Bonnici said. "In the past f loats have been ex- posed to the elements and as such they have often been destroyed by extreme weather conditions typical of this time of the year. Last night would have had these results, had these f loats not been given the nec- essary premises. Thanks to this in- itiative, some nine f loats have been saved from destruction." According to Bonnici, the Carni- val Village would also incorporate an exhibition which appeals both to carnival enthusiasts and to art lovers. "Our plan has always been to bring together two sectors which seem to be opposite to each other to appeal to as many members of the public as possible." Carnival director Jason Busuttil, said that the Carnival village is a dream come true for enthusiasts. Busuttil also added that this year would also see a tele-voting com- petition for all the f loats, where the public can choose their favourite f loat. "The winning company would then be given a trophy to celebrate their success." Carnival activities start tomor- row, ending on Tuesday evening. News King Carnival float gets special 20-year anniversary dedication PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD