Albania: The First Night of Festivali i Këngës 63 Takes the Stage Tonight!

December wouldn’t feel complete without Festivali i Këngës, and tonight marks the start of the 63rd edition of Albania’s most celebrated music festival in Tirana. Known for selecting Albania’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, this year’s FiK promises intense competition and captivating performances. The winner will earn the honor of representing Albania in Basel, Switzerland, for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in May.

Format

The festival spans four nights, with 30 artists competing for six awards, one of which is directly tied to Eurovision representation.

• Thursday & Friday: Semi-finals showcase all entries.
• Saturday: A special “Nostalgia Night”.
• Sunday: The highly anticipated Grand Final, where the winner will be crowned.

Unlike the previous two editions, this year’s winner, decided by a combined audience and jury vote, will automatically represent Albania in Eurovision 2025. There’s no separate category for Eurovision selection—the grand champion will take the Eurovision stage.

The First Semi-Final

The first semi-final begins tonight at 21:00 CET live from the Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana. Competing artists for the evening include:

1. Orgesa Zaimi – “I parë”
2. Erma Mici – “Mbaje”
3. Luna Çausholli – “Qiell apo ferr”
4. Ronaldo Mesuli – “N’zemër”
5. Mihallaq Andrea – “Porositë e babait”
6. Kejsi Jazxhi – “Kur bota hesht”
7. Lorenc Hasrama – “Frymë”
8. Jet – “Gjallë”
9. Djemtë e Detit – “Larg”
10. Nita Latifi – “Zemrës”
11. Martina Serreqi – “Nese qaj”
12. Alis Kallacej – “Mjegull”
13. Shkodra Elektronike – “Zjerm”
14. Kleansa Susaj – “Ta dija”
15. Ardit Çuni – “Amane”

The event will be hosted by Enkel Demi and Ornela Bregu.

Special Guests

The opening night will feature two special guests:

• Slimane, France’s representative for Eurovision 2024.
• Noizy, one of Albania’s biggest music stars and a trailblazer in the country’s rap scene.

Where to Watch

The first night of Festivali i Këngës 63 kicks off at 21:00 CET. Viewers can watch the show live here.

Eurovision Legacy

Last year, Besa represented Albania with her song “Zemrën n’dorë” (later reworked as “Titan” in English). Despite delivering a powerful performance, she narrowly missed the Grand Final, finishing 14th in Semi-Final 2.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the updates on Albania’s Eurovision journey and more!