Music
Thousands of fans flock to Isle of MTV festival
By MaltaMedia News
Jul 26, 2007 - 7:47:59 PM

Thousand of fans turned up for the Isle of MTV summer festival at the Floriana Granaries, featuring Spanish heartthrob Enrique Iglesias, Californian pop rock band Maroon 5 and hip-hop sensation Akon. 

The show opened at 1900CEST with Maltese rock band Winter Moods and will also feature the talents of singer Ira Losco, as well as DJs Toni Toni, Pierre Cordina, Ruby, Miss Roberta, Joseph Armani and JJoy.

The government is paying over Lm 300,000 (€700,000) for the event.  Half of sum is going to advertising Malta on MTV stations across Europe. The show, which will be condensed into one hour of footage, will reach an audience millions of Europeans in September.

Attendees have been urged to make use of public transport to avoid traffic jams. Frequent bus services will be provided to keep up with the increased transport demand, while special bus lanes will be used as from Thursday afternoon to 0100CEST on Friday for public transport could run faster.

Once the free-of-charge event draws to a close, buses will leave the capital city Valletta at 0100CEST, at a fare of 50c (€1.17). The ferry service from Sliema will operate from 1800CEST to 0200CEST on Friday in a bid to encourage more people to park in Sliema and catch the ferry to Valletta.

Four clinics set up by the Civil Protection Department, St John's Ambulance Brigade, the Red Cross and the St John's Rescue Corps have been set up at the granaries in case of emergencies. Fans have been urged to attend wearing light clothing and drink lots of water during the event. Attendees have also been advised against doing drugs or drinking alcohol since the heat and large crowds could make the effects of these substances worse.