Festivali i Këngës 65: All 28 Acts, Dates and Albania's Eurovision 2027 Pick
TL;DR: Festivali i Këngës 65 (FiK 65) runs 17–20 December 2026 at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, with the final on 20 December. 28 acts compete, and the winner is Albania's entry for Eurovision 2027 in Burgas: the first act of the 2027 field. Albania has reached the last two Eurovision finals, finishing 8th in 2025 and 13th in 2026.
FiK 65 dates, venue and format
| Show | Festivali i Këngës 65 (FiK 65) |
| Broadcaster | RTSH |
| Dates | 17–20 December 2026 |
| Final | Sunday 20 December 2026 |
| Venue | Palace of Congresses, Tirana |
| Acts | 28 |
| Artistic directors | Alfred Kaçinari and Shpëtim Saraçi |
| Voting | Jury and public vote (split not yet confirmed) |
| Prize | Albania's place at Eurovision 2027 in Burgas (11, 13 and 15 May 2027) |
RTSH has confirmed the four dates. It hasn't published the running order or how many acts reach the final. FiK 63 and FiK 64 both ran semi-finals before a final, and the four-night schedule points the same way. We'll update this page when the format is out.
Kaçinari and Saraçi take over from Elhaida Dani, Albania's 2015 Eurovision singer. Both are veteran composers, and they ran the festival together in 1999 and 2016.
FiK 65 artists: all 28 acts
RTSH announced the line-up on 9 October 2026. Song titles come later.
| # | Artist |
|---|---|
| 1 | Adhurim Demiri |
| 2 | Alegra Jaho |
| 3 | Algert Sala |
| 4 | Ana Bushgjokaj |
| 5 | Ardit Çuni |
| 6 | Arsi Bako |
| 7 | Auron Deva & DJ Sardi |
| 8 | Chip Deva |
| 9 | Djemtë e Detit |
| 10 | Eldis Arrnjeti |
| 11 | Erinda Agolli |
| 12 | Gigliola Haveriku |
| 13 | Gjergj Jorgaqi |
| 14 | Herva Novaku |
| 15 | Josif Gjipali & Ardita Meni |
| 16 | Kejsi Jazxhi |
| 17 | Kejsi Tola |
| 18 | Khuba-Shkëlzen Rexhaj |
| 19 | Leandra Godaj |
| 20 | Martina Serreqi |
| 21 | Michela Paluca |
| 22 | Orgesa Zaimi |
| 23 | Petro Fejza ft. Antonio Papa |
| 24 | Rei Bezhani |
| 25 | Sara Bajraktari |
| 26 | Sigi Bastri |
| 27 | Vanesa Sono |
| 28 | Xhoni Jesku |
The names you may know
Kejsi Tola won FiK in 2008 and sang *Carry Me in Your Dreams* for Albania at Eurovision 2009 in Moscow. She finished 17th in the final.
Orgesa Zaimi has competed in FiK five times, most recently in 2024.
Djemtë e Detit are a rock band whose FiK history goes back to 1991. They finished 6th at FiK 63 with *Larg*. Band member Valentin Markvukaj is Australian-Albanian, which gives Australian fans a reason to watch.
Gjergj Jorgaqi is back for the first time since 2003.
Arsi Bako won Festivali i Pranverës in June with *Humb*, and the win came with a place in FiK 65. *Humb* came out before the EBU's 1 September release cut-off, so Bako competes with a new song.
How the FiK 65 winner is chosen
RTSH says the winner will be picked by a jury and a public vote. It hasn't confirmed the split.
The last edition is the best guide. The FiK 64 final (December 2025) combined a professional jury with a public vote. Alis won with 152 points (68 jury, 84 public), 50 clear of Inis Neziri's *Ta kam fal* (102). He topped both halves, so the split didn't decide anything that year.
Albania at Eurovision: results 2018–2026
| Year | Albania's entry (via FiK) | Eurovision result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Alis, *Nân* | 13th in the final (145 points) |
| 2025 | Shkodra Elektronike, *Zjerm* | 8th in the final (218 points) |
| 2024 | Besa, *Zemrën n'dorë* (*Titan* at Eurovision) | Did not qualify |
| 2023 | Albina & Familja Kelmendi, *Duje* | 22nd in the final |
| 2022 | Ronela Hajati, *Sekret* | Did not qualify |
| 2021 | Anxhela Peristeri, *Karma* | 21st in the final |
| 2019 | Jonida Maliqi, *Ktheju tokës* | 17th in the final |
| 2018 | Eugent Bushpepa, *Mall* | 11th in the final |
*2020 was cancelled.*
Two things stand out:
1. Albanian works. Every entry since 2018 was sung mainly in Albanian except one. Besa's 2024 song was rewritten in English as *Titan* and finished 15th of 16 in its semi-final. *Zjerm* and *Nân* stayed in Albanian, and *Zjerm* gave Albania its best result since 2012. That's a short sample, but it argues for keeping the song in the language it won in.
2. The public carries Albania. *Zjerm* took 173 televote points and 45 from the juries in Basel. In Vienna, Alis scored 85 televote points against 60 from the juries. A FiK winner that lands with the diaspora, without needing translation, starts with an advantage.
Albania's best result is still 5th in 2012, with Rona Nishliu's *Suus*.
What FiK 65 means for the Eurovision 2027 odds
No Eurovision 2027 entry has a song yet. Any 2027 price today is a bet on a country, not an entry, and our Eurovision odds page won't show a meaningful 2027 market until songs exist. Our Eurovision 2027 odds tracker covers what the market will look at first.
FiK changes that on 20 December. Albania becomes the first country with a chosen entry, and its price is the first that reflects an actual song. Three things to keep in mind:
Early is not the same as favoured. Going first buys months of exposure, but it didn't help in 2026: Alis closed at 164.85 in the winner market and finished 13th. With so few songs chosen, early prices swing on very little.
Revamps are the norm. *Karma*, *Sekret* and *Zemrën n'dorë* were all reworked before Eurovision. The FiK performance is a draft, and the market usually waits for the final version.
The real repricing comes in February. By then, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Lithuania and others will have picked. Albania's price on 21 December says more about the empty field than about the song.
We'll add the song titles, the format, the finalists and the winner as RTSH confirms them.
Related reading
Sources
2026 Eurovision points and odds: WhatOdds.io results and odds archive
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Festivali i Këngës 65?
The shows run 17–20 December 2026 at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana. The final is on Sunday 20 December. RTSH hasn't published the show-by-show format yet.
Who will represent Albania at Eurovision 2027?
The winner of Festivali i Këngës 65, decided on 20 December 2026. RTSH says the FiK 65 winner goes to Eurovision 2027 in Burgas. No other national final is scheduled before late January, so Albania's act will be the first of the 2027 season. See the national selections calendar.
Who is competing in Festivali i Këngës 65?
28 acts, announced by RTSH on 9 October 2026. They include Kejsi Tola, who won FiK in 2008 and sang for Albania at Eurovision 2009, plus Orgesa Zaimi, rock band Djemtë e Detit, Gjergj Jorgaqi and Festivali i Pranverës winner Arsi Bako. Song titles haven't been published yet.
How is the Festivali i Këngës winner chosen?
By a jury and a public vote. RTSH hasn't confirmed the split for FiK 65. In the FiK 64 final (December 2025), Alis won with 152 points: 68 from the jury and 84 from the public.
Are there odds for Festivali i Këngës 65?
Not on our Eurovision odds page yet, and FiK markets are thin when they exist. The price worth watching is Albania's Eurovision 2027 outright once the winner is known on 20 December. Our Eurovision 2027 odds tracker follows it.
What is Albania's best Eurovision result?
5th in 2012, with Rona Nishliu's *Suus* (146 points). The next best are 7th in 2004 and 8th in 2025 with Shkodra Elektronike's *Zjerm*.
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