Albania: Here's the lineup for Festivali i Këngës 61
The 26 acts competing at this year's Festivali i Këngës have been announced. The final will most probably be held in December, and this time the public will have a say in the winning song
Albania's legendary selection for the Eurovision Song Contest – Festivali i Këngës – isn't going away, and it will remain as the country's method of deciding who should wave the Albanian flag in the United Kingdom at next year's contest.
The 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës will continue to be split into three live shows, and will feature 26 acts that have just been announced (out of 148 submissions). The songs haven't yet been made available.
Festivali i Këngës #61
The 61st edition of Festivali i Këngës will be divided into three live shows.
Unlike previous years, Festivali i Këngës won't rely solely on a professional jury to select Albania's Eurovision representative. Instead, the voice of the people will also be heard and the televote will have a say in the matter. It's still unclear how the voting will be used in this year's edition.
Festivali i Këngës is organized by the Albanian national broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Since its start in 1962, all artists have been asked to perform live, with a jury selecting the winner. Since 2004, the winner of the festival is Albania's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest.
When Albania finally applied to the EBU to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, they agreed to let the winner of the country's most popular festival represent Albania.
Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Since their debut in 2004, Albania has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest every year. Their best result is a 5th place finish in 2012, when Rona Nishliu sang "Suus."
Out of the 18 times Albania has participated, they have qualified for the Grand Final 10 times.
