Festivali i Këngës: Albania's musical springboard to Eurovision
The Festivali i Këngës is a prestigious Albanian singing competition organised by the national broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) since 1962. The festival occupies a prominent place in Albanian musical culture and is a launching pad for many Albanian artists.
Since 2004, the Festivali i Këngës has played a crucial role in Albania's national selection for Eurovision. The festival is held at the Tirana Convention Centre. It is one of the first selection competitions in the Eurovision season, which takes place shortly before Christmas, which is why fans have taken to nicknaming the event "Fik-mas".
In June 2024, the Albanian singer Elhaida Dani, winner of the 53rd edition of the Festivali i Këngës, was named artistic director of the competition.
Candidate selection process
Every year, RTSH launches a song submission phase several months before the festival,
allowing artists to submit their work. A selection committee then determines the finalists from the submissions received. This rigorous process ensures a high level of musical diversity and quality for the festival.
Organisation of the national competition and voting system
The Festivali i Këngës usually takes place over several evenings. Historically, Albania's Eurovision representatives from 2004 to 2022 were selected solely by a professional jury. And for the past two years, it has been the public vote that determines the artist who will represent Albania at Eurovision, independently of the festival winner, who is determined by the jury.
This dual system sometimes led to situations where the winner of the festival was not Albania's representative at Eurovision. However, since this year in 2024, RTSH has decided to introduce a single combined vote. From now on, the winner of the Festivali i Këngës, who will also be Albania's representative at Eurovision, will be chosen by a combination of the votes of the jury (representing 60% of the votes) and the public (40%).
This new approach aims to ensure that the choice of artist is both democratic and fair, giving a significant voice to the public while benefiting from the expertise of the jury.
Festivali i Këngës 63
Read 63rd Festivali i Këngës is scheduled to run from 19 to 22 December 2024, with two semi-finals on 19 and 20 December, followed by a nostalgia evening on 21 December and the final on 22 December.
For this year's event, a professional jury will judge 30 entries in the semi-finals, with just 15 finalists selected to perform in the final on 22 December, where the overall winner will be determined by a combined vote of the jury, the public and the diaspora.
The artists of Festivali i Këngës 63
Albania at Eurovision
Albania
