Albanian Festivals
Travel with GAIA to the Best Festivals In Albania and we will take care about everything
Dita e Veres (The Summer Day)
Dita e Veres is not a festival as such but an annual celebration which is hugely important in Albanian culture. If you’re visiting the country in March (14 March), you’re in for a treat as there are huge celebrations all around the country, with families and children often spending time together. You’ll find lots of traditional food, dancing, and general merriment. This celebration is a pagan holiday that celebrates when Diana, the Goddess of forests, greenery, and nature, comes out of her temple to break the winter season. As such, it marks the change from winter to spring and has a strong emphasis on nature. The day before Dita e Veres you’ll see people searching for a clump of grass containing soil and the roots, as they will then keep it in their home as a sign of good luck.
Every March (varies from village to village)
National Festival Of Urban Folk Songs
Folk music is quite important across the whole Western Balkans. Every March in Albania, you will find this nationwide celebration of the local folk music, which varies from village to village. Elbasan is the place to be for this particular festival, as there is a large concert of different performers from across the country and a generally fun-filled feel in the air!
Korca Beer Festival
Taking place over 4-5 days every August (in general in the middle of August), the Korca Beer Festival is a must-visit if you’re a lover of local and international beers. This is a hugely popular festival, with more than 100K people in attendance every year. The other plus point? Free entrance, an exceptional music program, and a wide range of foreign and domestic beer brands, as well as some locally produced in the Korca region. The festival also features music from local and national bands, with food stands and a fun feel in the air.
Kruja Mountain Festival
In August, you will be able to enjoy the Kruja Mountain Festival, which certainly has a lofty perch to enjoy the scenery from! Many different religions take this pilgrimage route throughout the country, visiting the cave within the mountain where several miracles are said to have occurred. You can head up the mountain on foot if you’re feeling energetic, or you can drive up instead. The views are unique, so make sure you have plenty of space on your camera memory card.
Gjirokastër Folk Festival
This particular festival isn’t as frequent as the others, as it takes place every four years, in September. Despite that, it is quite a big deal, with the first one happening way back in 1968. Gjirokaster Folk Festival is full of music, dancing, performances, and art from around the Balkan region, and many international performers take to the stage. UNESCO recognizes this festival for its cultural heritage roots, and you can be sure of a massive crowd on the day.
Tomato Festival
As obscure as it may sound, the Tomato Festival is a very popular yearly event, taking place in September in Shëngjergj Village. The village is only a short distance away from the capital of Tirana, but the drive is sublime through the beautiful Priska pass. You’ll be able to enjoy local traditions and cultural performances, as well as plentiful, delicious locally grown foods, including tomatoes! Check out the folk dancing and music, and you’ll also find lots of trinkets and handmade souvenirs to take home with you.
Olive Festival
On 3 November every year, the Olive Festival takes place in Brar. This festival showcases many different locally-produced foods from all around the country, but mostly anything to do with olives! You’ll also get to enjoy a tour of the olive groves around the area, some of which date back thousands of years. This is a fun festival which allows you to try lots of local produce and, of course, purchase some to take back home with you. Locally produced olive oil from here is divine!
4 Oct 2024 to 12 Oct 2024
Wine & Stories of Berat
In the heart of Berat, a land rich with centuries of winemaking heritage, the Wines & Stories of Berat festival unfolds as a comprehensive celebration of wine culture. Here, you won't just sip on wine; you'll enter into its complex world, understanding the nuances that make each bottle a unique work of art. While wine remains at the heart of our event, the festival expands the palate by introducing guests to an array of local products from artisanal cheese and robust olive oils to sweet jams and tasty figs, you'll have an opportunity to explore Berat's culinary culture in tandem with its viniculture. Whether you're a wine enthusiast eager to deepen your understanding, a culinary adventurer looking to explore local flavors, or simply someone seeking an enjoyable outing in a beautiful setting, Wines & Stories of Berat promises an experience you won't soon forget.
The wine contest at Wines & Stories stands as a distinguished segment of our festival, designed to spotlight Albania's flourishing vinicultural sector. Our adjudication panel is composed of esteemed oenologists and sommeliers from Austria and Italy, countries with illustrious histories in winemaking. Through their rigorous assessment based on globally recognized criteria—such as aroma, flavor profile, body, and finish—the contest aims to underscore the finesse and craftsmanship inherent in Albanian winemaking. The competition culminates with an award ceremony on the festival's final day.
This event not only acknowledges the winners but also serves as an exposition of Albanian winemaking, demonstrating both its rich heritage and innovation. At Wines & Stories of Berat the tasting tours offer attendees more than just a sip of the local wines; they provide a full-sensory experience into the region's rich culinary culture. Thefig tour takes you through the aromatic orchards of Roshnik village, revealing the age-old techniques of fig preservation.For those interested in the liquid gold of the Mediterranean, the olive oil tour allows a walk-through ancient olive grove and a firsthand experience of the olive pressing process. Cheese aficionados will appreciate the cheese making tour, a hands-on journey exploring the craft ofBerat's finest cheeses. Lastly, the jam and glikotour reveals the time-honored methods of fruit preservation, a sweet testament to Berat's rich culinary culture. Each tour enriches Wine and Stories, making it a multidimensional event.
ZA FEST
For three unforgettable summer nights, lucky pilgrims from all over the world came to experience ZA Fest in the heart of the Albanian Alps, an otherworldly place where legends still come alive. This one of a kind happening mixed gorgeous melodies with yoga, hiking and a culinary fair. Talented regional artists such as Elina Duni, Piers Faccini, Vlashent Sata, Arben Bajraktaraj, Bob Berky, Agona Shporta and bands like Don’t Listen to Your Neighbors channeled the majesty of the surrounding mountains in story and song. Iceberg Communication took charge of the online campaign along with fashioning the unique ZA Fest logo on t-shirts, bags and bracelets.
What’s in a name?
It is the Albanian word for “voice” or “sound” that gives this festival its name. Specifically, “za” in the northern Gheg dialect, is one of the most beautiful words of the Albanian language. It is at the root of “zana,” which refers to both “fairies” and “multiple voices” in Albanian. Indeed, “voices that travel far and wide, like fairies in the legends, and echoes between mountains” is how Sata explains his choice for the festival’s name. He sets up the stage in such a way that performers stand perfectly between the mountains, so that the sounds travel across Albania and the continent, inviting more and more people to this legendary place. This is Sata’s vision of Za Fest’s future and, judging from this year’s magical atmosphere, this event’s echo will be heard for years to come.
5 October
The Apple Festival
The region of Korca is one of the biggest apple producers in Albania and the village of Dvoran is the home of the annual Apple Festival. This festive event, which aims at promoting local production and attracting more tourists, gathers apple farmers from the entire region of Korca. The festival starts with a symbolic apple picking event in one of the village orchards and continues with the apple fair and a festive concert.
21 June
The Lake Festival - Pogradec
The city of Pogradec observes the day of Ohrid Lake with a traditional fair of food and crafts and music events.
21-22 July
Teto Ollga Festival in Tushemisht
The festival celebrates the fictional character of Ollga, from a successful movie from the Communist era. The festive events start with participants cutting off watermelons. The festival includes a food competition, a traditional fair, and open sky movie screening.
13-15 August
Korani Festival - Pogradec
Koran fish, also known as the Ohrid Trout is endemic to the lake and its water tributaries. The festival promotes the delicious local koran dishes but also aims to raise awareness on the protection of this rare fish species. Illegal fishing and overfishing are reducing the Koran population in Ohrid Lake.
Book your trip today!