The National Folk Festival will take place at Gjirokastër Castle from June 24 to July 1.

While the preparations for the Gjirokastër Folklore Festival are on course, artists express their enthusiasm to return to the stage.  Albanian Minister of Culture, Elva Margariti shared through a footage the emotions of the artists who for decades have climbed on the stage of the festival, but also of those who will perform for the first time.

“There is nothing better than coming to the Festival, competing with the younger generations, who are so talented”, said an artist who has been performing on stage for 55 years.

Other artists say that they feel happy that polyphony is also being embraced by young people.

One of the artists is happy that he will once again see Gjirokastër, just as he saw it during the Folk Fest days, when he was only 20 years old.

The parade of motifs, rhythms, colors, songs, dances, rituals will unfold in the parade that will take place in the city in stone.

The first National Folklore Festival of Gjirokastër took place in 1968, in the stone castle of Gjirokastër. Since then, the festival has been held every five years. During the 1970s can also be considered the peak of participation in this Festival, where there were more than 1 thousand selected participants.

The Gjirokastër National Folk Fest was conceived in the form of a folklore competition, where until the festival of 1988, prizes were given to the best groups, while in its last editions the prizes would be awarded to the performers and cultivators of folklore.

/a.p./