Page 22 - We Rave You Magazine | September 2022

INTERVIEW > 356 ENTERTAINMENT: MALTA’S POWER PLAYERS CHANGING THE MUSIC SCENE IN MALTA

“It’s nice to see these festivals give a lot back

financially to local businesses and communities,
and to the country itself”
– TREVOR CAMILLERI

Tell us a little bit more about SummerDaze, because that In looking to attend the festival, visitors don’t have to
seems to be solely your concept that you have developed. purchase a GA pass, instead, they can offer a small dona-
tion and essentially attend the event for free. What is the
GERALD: From the brand name to the production, to the
thinking behind this?
artistic direction and bookings, it’s an in-house event but
with the support of BBC Radio 1 and Creamfields. This year GERALD: The first two editions were also free entrance. We
is only the third edition since we had to cancel one of them organise the event for the MTA and it is mainly because we
due to COVID. Months of work go into organising a festival are trying to introduce a new brand and a new concept to
of this size, and we were literally on the verge of literally Malta. It’s a good few days, it brings the feel-good factor,
launching the lineup two days before we cancelled it which people enjoy it and it’s added value to the tourists coming
was a bit of a setback at first. to Malta. After the first two years now, it’s becoming a
progression of now we start to be able to charge a fee.
The SummerDaze programme is quite diverse, how do you So this year it went from zero to three euros. It’s a small
go about piecing the lineup together? transition but as we build throughout the years, people are
starting to trust the event and the level of entertainment
GERALD: This year we changed the direction slightly and
and production that they’re coming to see. The aim is obvi-
headed more towards live pop acts for different reasons.
ously to have an increase in price going forward but that is
One is that you can become quite limited with DJs as there
at the discretion of the MTA.
are four or five really big DJs you can book at that level,
but we still took on a few of them and were glad to have
TREVOR: With the association of BBC Radio 1, in the first
them. With the first two editions, we felt like we played it
years, we didn’t charge for the event like the BBC didn’t
safe when we built the event with DJs like Martin Garrix and
charge for their events as they put on state events. So with
David Guetta coming over, but there’s also a lot of hype
that in mind and the fact that BBC Radio 1 are always keen
around the live acts. The other reason is that not many
to collaborate with SummerDaze, the approach was similar
live acts come to Malta compared to DJs, so there is more
this year.
demand there, the market is much bigger, and pop is very
euro-friendly. It’s very different from what we do, but we try
Looking ahead to the next few years, what are your plans
to have a diverse spectrum of events happening for us as
for 356 in the near future?
much as possible. It is unique because, in reality, we don’t
have any other event that is similar to SummerDaze. The TREVOR: Apart from what we are doing right now, we are
big pop and hip-hop acts and rappers don’t really come to also focused on family entertainment, which is also an
Malta, so it was a good opportunity to come together with important part of 356. We are partners with Cirque du Soleil
the MTA (Malta Tourism Authority) to book such talent. and do their shows here in Malta. We realised that family
entertainment is also an important sector after having kids
TREVOR: In terms of the different days here this year, we ourselves, so we are looking to build brands for younger
wanted Day 1 to be very focused on the British market people. In doing that we have built a concert alongside BBC
helped by BBC Radio 1 and Cream. And on the second Radio 2 and an orchestra for example. Aside from that, we
day, we wanted to draw in the Italian market with acts like are also looking to improve our international reputation,
Corona. The event is very much a marketing stunt, as more as we have several exciting projects in the pipeline for the
Brits are around in Malta in August than Italians. years ahead.

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