🇦🇱 Festivali i Këngës 65 dates revealed

Just a few days after Albania’s RTSH revealed the acts that will compete, now we have the dates for the 65th edition of Festivali i Këngës.

First NF of the season

RTSH have revealed on their website that the final of the contest is set to take place on the 20th of December. With no other countries announcing early national final plans again, it looks like Albania will return to its place of having the first national final of in the Eurovision calendar.

The artists competing at Fest 65

Earlier this week RTSH announced the 28 artists competing at Festivali i Këngës 65, with the festival confirmed to select Albania’s representative for Eurovision 2027. Among the names confirmed is former Albanian Eurovision representative Kejsi Tola.

The list was published following an application period that ran from 22 to 27 September, with submissions reviewed by a selection committee. This was overseen by Alfred Kaçinari and Shpëtim Saraçi who had been appointed as the new artistic directors of Festivali i Këngës. Here are all 28 artists who will take part in the December festival:

What do we know about this year’s festival?

RTSH has confirmed that all 28 competing songs must be performed entirely in Albanian, must not exceed four minutes and must be original, previously unpublished works. The rules also prohibit the use of artificial intelligence at every stage of the creative process, with the broadcaster placing an emphasis on human-created music. All participating artists must be over 18, and each will compete with one song.

The festival will take place in December, although the broadcaster has not yet announced the full schedule or confirmed whether the previous format of two semi-finals will return. The songs and their release dates are also still to be announced.

What is Festivali i Këngës?

Albania’s Festivali i Këngës long predates Albania’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 1962, Albanian musicians perform for the broadcast audience in December. At inception, Festivali i Këngës focused on “light music”, a populist kind of classical music. Following the end of a period of censorship in the 1970s and 80s, performers chose from a variety of genres, and love songs, political entries, and rock music became more common; starting in the 1990s, diaspora Albanian singers were also allowed to participate. The entries at FiK have since then often reflected political and social issues prevalent in Albania, such as the transition away from communism, the rash of pyramid schemes in the mid-1990s, and the fragmentation of family units. As of 2004, the winner of Festivali i Këngës gains first refusal to represent Albania at Eurovision; however, beginning in 2022, the jury winner is separate from the televote winner, the latter of whom gets to go to Eurovision.

Albania’s Eurovision journey

In 2004, Albania made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest with Anjeza Shahini with “Image of You”, which placed 7th in the final. Since their debut, Albania has participated 20 times, and made the final 10 times. They achieved their best result in 2012, where Rona Nishliu placed 5th with “Suus”.

Alis debuted in Festivali i Këngës 63 in December 2024, placing third with his song “Mjegull”. The singer returned to FiK in December of 2025, and won with his song “Nân”. Alis represented Albania in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with “Nân”. He made it to the Grand Final, where he ultimately finished in 13th place with 145 points. A total of 60 of these came from the jury, while the remaining 85 points came from the televote.

Will you be watching this year’s contest? And who would you like to see represent Albania at Eurovision 2027? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, Bluesky, and ZOOP for more information about Eurovision 2027!

News source: RTSH

Image credits: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU