ŻiguŻajg International Arts Festival for Children & Young People is the only festival in Malta specifically aimed at children & young people, presenting an enticing programme of international productions and new commissioned work, annually.
Since its inception in 2010, the festival programme of ŻiguŻajg has grown from strength to strength, becoming a cornerstone of the cultural calendar both in Malta and internationally. The festival aims to keep developing a national repertoire of creative work for children and young people, whereby over the past 13 years we have commissioned over 150 new projects in a variety of genres and creative forms, and collaborated with local and foreign stakeholders to present work of high artistic excellence for young audiences! The programme includes a wide range of creative forms varying from original musicals, opera, dance, physical theatre, award-winning films, re-adaptations of iconic literature classics as well as new writing.
ŻiguŻajg Festival proved to be so successful that in 2019 – in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv – a sister programme to the festival was launched. ŻiguŻajg season takes place throughout the year and comprises of productions and activities of high artistic excellence aimed at schools, children and their families.
In 2020, as a reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival presented its first ever digital programme of events which saw thousands of children across Malta, Gozo and overseas tune into to our first ever online festival, breaking unprecedented accessibility boundaries. What followed in the next two editions was a hybrid programme of both live and digital events mirroring the exigencies of a post-pandemic world.
This year, 2023, the festival is back in full swing!
Our Vision
ŻiguŻajg International Arts Festival for Children & Young People is proud to be a member of a number of international networks that focus on developing programmes and events for children and young people.
ŻiguŻajg has been awarded the autism friendly spaces badge by PRISMS – Malta’s leading NGO in youth work – for our efforts to create an accessible atmosphere all around the festival.
ŻiguŻajg is a member of ASSITEJ International Association of Theatre for Children & Young People – which unites theatres, organisations and individuals throughout the world who make theatre for children and young people. ASSITEJ is dedicated to the artistic, cultural and educational rights of children and young people across the globe and advocates on behalf of all children regardless of nationality, cultural identity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion.
Our Achievements
ŻiguŻajg International Arts Festival for Children & Young People is proud to be a member of a number of international networks that focus on developing programmes and events for children and young people.
ŻiguŻajg has been awarded the autism friendly spaces badge by PRISMS – Malta’s leading NGO in youth work – for our efforts to create an accessible atmosphere all around the festival.
ŻiguŻajg is a member of ASSITEJ International Association of Theatre for Children & Young People – which unites theatres, organisations and individuals throughout the world who make theatre for children and young people. ASSITEJ is dedicated to the artistic, cultural and educational rights of children and young people across the globe and advocates on behalf of all children regardless of nationality, cultural identity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion.
ŻiguŻajg in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv is a member of IETM – the main international network for contemporary performing arts, with over 500 members worldwide. The membership gives our team access to exclusive material as well as opportunities for networking and professional development.
ŻiguŻajg was awarded the European Festival Association (EFFE) Label in the year 2019-2020. It is an important acknowledgement that makes ŻiguŻajg part of the international Festival community and provides online visibility of the Festival on www.effe.eu for audiences globally interested in the arts of all kinds.
Thanks to the talent and effort of the ŻiguŻajg team and our collaborators, we have received a number of awards recognising the hard work that everyone has put in over the years.
The festival won the Premju għall-Arti; Malta’s National Arts Award for Best Artistic Programme for its 2016 edition. The awards acknowledge excellence in artistic work premiered during the preceding year and are unique in their focus on culture and the arts.
In the special edition of Premju Għall-Arti (2021) honouring a very difficult year for the arts sector, ŻiguŻajg festival was awarded Best Production during COVID-19 pandemic for its 2020 edition.
This year, ŻiguŻajg festival has once again been nominated for Best Artistic Programme for both its 2021 and 2022 editions for Premju għall-Arti. The awards ceremony is due in December 2023.
Endorsements
Have a look at what our supporters, collaborators and audiences have to say about ŻiguŻajg!
“ŻiguŻajg is a wonderful festival. Its staff works tirelessly to bring amazing international art experiences to Malta’s children, while at the same time, working hard to strengthen the infrastructure of arts in education throughout the country. We have performed a number of times in the festival, and each time we are struck by everyone’s dedication and belief.”
Erik Kaiel Artistic Director, Arch 8 (Netherlands)
“I attended ŻiguŻajg festival for children 2017… The shows were very diverse, surprising and extremely creative. All shows were full house and I was observing the happiness of the children who were very well prepared by the festival team. ŻiguŻajg is one of the best children’s festival around the world now. Congratulations!”
Mohamed El Ghawy, Artistic Director and Founder at AFCA for Arts and Culture (Egypt)
“The British Council is proud to support the ŻiguŻajg theatre festival: the only theatre festival in Malta for children and young people. The artistic programme is always varied and on a high level… We simply cannot imagine Malta’s cultural calendar without ŻiguŻajg: the benefits of exposing young people to performing arts are huge.”
Ingrid Eomois, British Council
“We are avid followers of this festival both as a school and personally with our families. The hard work and dedication to your work is most evident in the crowds you pull and the quality of the performances you organise. This year’s ŻiguŻajg Festival was the perfect mix of talent, artistic planning and grind!”
Hilary Caruana, Managing Director, Kidstart Childcare & Development Centre