Albanian Radio and Television will hold the 65th Song Festival from December 17 to 20, 2026. The event remains one of the country’s leading celebrations of Albanian popular music.

Organisers confirmed the dates after completing applications and selecting 28 competing entries. The selection process followed technical and artistic criteria, while the festival rules require entirely new, previously unpublished songs. Each entry must last no longer than four minutes and feature lyrics entirely in Albanian.

In addition, the rules prohibit the use of artificial intelligence at every stage of song creation, placing emphasis on human creativity and originality.

Applications opened from September 22 to 27 through official online forms. The process attracted strong interest from composers and other creators of Albanian music.

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