There is an alternative to Ibiza in the Mediterranean sea, a couple of days in August every year. That is Malta and Glitch Festival.
33 degrees, brilliant sunshine, and an ice-cold drink by the pool during the day. Mild nights, an amazing audience, and an incredibly impressive lineup under the starry sky. There you have Glitch Festival, which Playful Magazine has fallen in love with in recent years.
There is pure passion behind Glitch Festival in Malta. The team behind the festival consists of old Maltese friends with a love for electronic music. Together, they manage to attract some of the hottest names in the techno and house scene each year, both newcomers and seasoned acts, to Gianpula Village just outside Valetta.
At Glitch Festival, as a visitor, you get the best of two, perhaps three, worlds. Summer on a Mediterranean island and the rave with a more dedicated audience than that on Ibiza. The festival is adept at blending Malta with music.
The festival always begins with an opening party in Valetta, in a grand UNESCO World Heritage protected environment. Three acts on one stage and a breathtaking audio and light show between the formations. Last summer, we experienced a magical B2B set with Helena Hauff and Hector Oaks before Marcel Dettmann took the stage and closed the opening night. It's extra fun that it's usually a local artist who opens, a common thread throughout the festival where you can discover several interesting Maltese names.
The festival itself is located in the event village of Gianpula Village, a taxi ride from Valetta, in the Maltese countryside. Here, we find six different stages, including 6 open-air stages and a cave (which Playful had the honor of overseeing in 2022). On the Main Stage "The Fortress," some of the festival's biggest names take turns, but even on the smaller stages, we find names that could fill the entire Fortress. An example of this is Brutalismus 3000, who hosted the biggest party on The Orbit stage in 2023, or Ellen Allien, who made the same stage sweat into the early hours of 2022.
All six stages are within short walking distance of each other, making it easy and convenient to hop between performances. You can easily enjoy an act at The Fortress and then be on Boiler room's own stage (see all sets from their stage) 10 minutes later, ready to dance in a livestream.
In addition to the opening day, the festival itself spans two days. Beyond that, everything concludes on the fourth day, either with a grand closing party in Gianpula Village or on a boat party in the Mediterranean. Boat parties are popular, and we have even heard from some of the most underground artists in Berlin that they loved the atmosphere on the boat.
What we appreciate most about Glitch Festival is the hospitality that permeates the entire event. The artists are well taken care of, the audience is there for their love of music, and we as media have the freedom to move around freely, both on stage and in the crowd. And we have only heard positive responses from the artists.
So, anyone craving warm nights, a Mediterranean setting, and world-class electronic music should consider including Glitch Festival in their plans for the summer of 2024.
Keep an eye on Glitch Festival on Instagram for lineup releases and ticket information.