This year Science in the City festival is bursting with exciting activities around the theme The Science of YOU. There will be three stages in Valletta: Triton Fountain, City Gate and Castille Square that will vibrate to the tune of magic, dance, theatre, comedy, experiments, and all the activities that make the festival a roaring success on the 27 September from 6pm till midnight.

A first for Science in the City, a dance to raise awareness and stop the stigma about neurodiversity and the behaviours of people with neuroatypical brains. Choreographer Diane Portelli from Moveo Dance Company will present ‘Diversely Typical’ on the main stage at Triton Fountain. Neurodiversity is what scientists believe to be a natural variation in human genes, one that results in conditions such as Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), among others. The festival is backing this project with more than half the funds to bring it to the stage, but more funds are required to take this performance to as wide an audience as possible, including schools. The money is being raised through a crowd funding campaign by ZAAR. To contribute please visit the ZAAR website: http://www.zaar.com.mt/projects/diverselytypical/

Other stage performances include a short play by Żebbuġ Primary School, called the ‘What Superheroes are Made Of’. Funded by the Arts Council Malta, this Kreattiv project explains the properties of materials and how breaking them down into tiny nanomaterials can turn them into super materials.  Glass, for example, becomes bendy and indestructible. The pint-sized actors have come up with the characters giving their superhero a property no other superhero has ever possessed. The script was written by our little heroes with the assistance of More or Less Theatre.

Esplora will present Body Wonders, a hilarious performance that bares it all, explaining the wonders of the human digestive system. Another show by the team Just Add Science made up of scientists Dr James Ciarlo, William Hicklin, Anita Farrugia, Stephen Vella mixes science, critical thinking, and fun. The team covers dinosaurs, floating objects, explosions, amidst high temperatures, naked flames, risking frostbite and being blown to smithereens, all in the name of science.

For more about YOU, there are two other stages at City Gate and Castille Square. Here, Gwilym Bugeja from OMG Magic will show his magic tricks to the tune of the science behind marketing strategies. While award-winning researcher Dr Anthony Galea (University of Malta), will explain climate change with just a globe and a lot of carbon dioxide. A theatrical piece on eugenics will be presented by Lara Agius and Sean Briffa performs acts with fire, while explaining the evolution of fire throughout history.  

Science in the City is part of the EU-wide celebration- European Researchers’ Night. It is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the Horizon 2020 Program of the EU, and a number of corporate sponsors. It is recognized as a Festival by Europe for Festivals and Festivals for Europe (EFFE)

The consortium is led by the University of Malta, Malta Chamber of Scientists and the University’s Research Trust (RIDT), in partnership with Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, Ministry of Education and Employment, MCAST, Esplora, JUGS Ltd, Studio 7, BPC International, GSD Marketing Ltd, Aquabiotech Ltd, MEUSAC, PBS, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta Local Council, Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, More or Less Theatre, Transport Malta, Kreattiv and Creative Communities of the Arts Council Malta.

Full programme can be viewed on www.scienceinthecity.org.mt or follow the festival on Facebook for regular updates:www.facebook.com/ScienceInTheCityMalta