Albania: The Second Night of Festivali i Këngës 63 Takes Place Tonight!

December feels incomplete without Festivali i Këngës, and tonight the 63rd edition of Albania’s premier music celebration continues in Tirana. As tradition holds, the festival serves as the platform for selecting Albania’s representative at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, set to take place this May in Basel, Switzerland.

Format

This year’s Festivali i Këngës runs across four nights, featuring 30 competing artists battling for six prestigious awards, including the honor of representing Albania at Eurovision.

• Thursday & Friday: Semi-finals to showcase all participants.
• Saturday: A special “Nostalgia Night”.
• Sunday: The much-awaited Grand Final.

Unlike the last two editions, the winner—determined by a combined jury and public vote—will automatically secure Albania’s Eurovision spot. There’s no separate category for Eurovision qualification, as the festival champion will represent the country on Europe’s biggest stage.

Second Semi-Final

The spotlight shifts tonight to the second semi-final, featuring an array of performers at Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana, starting at 21:00 CET. Here’s the lineup for tonight’s performances:

1. Mal Retkoceri – “Antihero”
2. Klea Dina – “Dashuri Ngiej“
3. Devis Xherahu – “Ka momente”
4. Vesa Smolica – “Lutem”
5. Algert Sala – “Bosh”
6. Gresa Gjocera – “E vërteta”
7. Frensi Revania – “Rreziko”
8. Endrik Beba – “Ishe ti”
9. Epos – “Kurajo dhe Zjarr”
10. Laurjan Ejlli & Adelina Corraj – “A thu”
11. Santino De Bartolo – “Kur nata vjen si bora”
12. Rea Nuhu – “Sot”
13. Elvana Gjata – “Karnaval”
14. Stine – “E kishim nis”
15. Gjergj Kaçinari – “Larg jetës pa ty”

Hosts and Jury

The festival is hosted by Enkel Demi and Ornela Bregu, with the jury panel comprised of prominent Albanian music professionals:

• Merita Rexha Tershana – Pianist
• Alma Bektashi – Singer
• Zana Cela – Producer
• Florent Boshnjaku – Composer
• Yllnjet Aliçka – Lyricist

Where to Watch

You can catch tonight’s second semi-final live at 21:00 CET. Viewers can watch the show live here.

Eurovision Legacy

Last year, Besa represented Albania with her heartfelt entry “Zemrën n’dorë”. Despite an impressive revamped version in English, “Titan”, she narrowly missed out on the Eurovision Grand Final, finishing 14th in Semi-Final 2.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the latest updates on Festivali i Këngës and Albania’s Eurovision journey!