What's on in Malta: real events, in Malta Living

Wondering what's on in Malta this month? Malta Living, the free life sim set in real Malta, now follows the island's real calendar. Real events on the island, from book fairs to games expos, show in What's on, a tab in Bonġu!, the in-game paper. Each one opens its place in the game on its real days, so you can go with your friends while it's on in real life. New here? Start with our guide to the Malta life simulator.

What's on shows the next 60 days

Open Bonġu! and tap What's on. Each card has the event's name, its days in Malta time, a countdown ("In 5 days", "Tomorrow", "On now") and whether it's free in real life. Tap one for its page: every day's hours, what you can do there in the game, a link to the organiser's own page, and Remind me. With Remind me on, your phone tells you the evening before and again when the doors open.

On the map, the event's place gets a gold countdown pin from a month before, then a red live marker while it's on.

The MFCC and the Birgu Waterfront

The MFCC at Ta' Qali, the island's exhibition halls, is a building site at its real size beside the National Stadium, cranes and all, and opens every day from Sunday 1 November. Its first show is the Malta Book Festival (4 to 8 November), and PlayCon, the games expo in November, follows once its hours are confirmed. The Birgu Waterfront, on the Grand Harbour, is the first open-air ground: it opens only on its events' days, and on other days its card says when it next opens. Like every place in the game, they're real places.

At an event: the stage, a stamp and a board

Events at the MFCC can have a stage to listen at, a show floor to walk and a photo spot. Tap Get your event stamp at the photo spot for a "You were there" stamp, dated the day you went. Stamps can't be bought or traded: you have to be there. They're on your profile under Badges, with Share.

Some events have a play corner too: tap Play for Bus Rush, one of our games. Once you have the event's stamp, your best run during its days goes on its board, and when it ends the top three get a gold stamp.

Why real events in a life sim

Malta is a small island with a busy calendar, and most of what happens is easy to miss. What's on gathers the big public events in one place, checked by our team against each organiser's own page before it goes in the game. Nothing is guessed: when an organiser hasn't confirmed the times yet, the event waits until they have. Entry in real life is shown as it is (free, ticketed, or free with paid extras), and nothing in the game costs real money to join.

Going in the game is a nice way to plan a real visit with friends, or to be there with them when you can't make it in person. Days and hours are always Malta time, so a player abroad sees the same moment as someone in Valletta.

Organising an event in Malta?

List it free. The form at maltaliving.world/advertise asks for the event's name, where, when and its page. We check every event against its own page before it goes in the game. Play Malta Living free and find the MFCC on the map, beside the stadium at Ta' Qali.

Questions people ask

How do I find what's on in Malta in the game?

Open Bonġu!, the first app on your in-game phone, and tap What's on. It lists the real events of the next 60 days, nearest first, and each one's place shows a gold countdown pin on the map.

Can I go to a real event in Malta Living every day?

Only on its real days and hours. The Birgu Waterfront is shut the rest of the time; the MFCC is open every day from 1 November, and its stage, show floor and stamp are there only on its events' days.

What is an event stamp?

A "You were there" badge from the photo spot at an event, dated the day you went. You get one per event, and you can't buy or trade it.

How do I get my event listed?

Fill in the free form on /advertise with the event's name, place, days and its page. We check it against the organiser's own page and add it as a free listing.