The first semi-final of  the 51st edition of the Albanian national music festival, Festivali i Këngës will take place tonight in Tirana. 13 acts will compete for a place in the final, including the country’s representative in 2009, Kejsi Tola. The show will start at 20:30 CET and will be hosted by Enkel Demi and Floriana Garo.

How to watch?

• Live on RTSH @ 20:30 CET
• Live on Radio Tirana 20:30 CET
• Webcast of RTSH (official)
• Webcast  (not official)

The show

The following acts will compete in tonight’s show. Only 8 acts will make it to the final.

• Selami Kolonja – Ku je? 
• Rosela Gjylbegu – Dëshirë
• Kejsi Tola – S’jemi më atje
• Vesa Luma – S’jam perfekt
• Elis Nova – Ajo
• Kozma Dushi – Ëndërr mbete ti
• Bon bon Band – Humbur
• Dr.Flori & Fabi – Jam ti 
• Merland Kademi – Këtu fillon parajsa 
• Rezarta Smaja – Ti? 
• Ardian Bujupi – I çmendur për ty 
• Xheni & Enxhi Kumrija – Arti i një fundi 
• Arjela Krasniqi – Më thuaj pse?

National guests stars:

This year’s Festivali i Këngës edition will be a reminder of the most beautiful songs of the 11th edition of  Festival i Këngës. This retrospective is  due of the 40th anniversary of the Festivali i Këngës 11. The 11th edition of Festivali i Këngës  is the most ‘known’ edition in its history. This edition was held on 22 and 25 December 1972 in Tirana. The festival was sentenced at that time as a festival that spreads Western bourgeois culture and many of the organizers and the participants were sentenced to long prison terms. The organizers of Festivali i Kënges 51 have decided to ‘restore’  its atmosphere: not through punishment and the dramatic stories of the organizers and the artists, but through the musical values of that year. Besides that, this year’s edition coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Independence of the country, which means that the festival will have a very festive atmosphere.

The following artists will have the honour to sings the best songs from Festivali i Këngës 11, including Juliana Pasha (Eurovision Albania 2010) and Luiz Ejlli (Eurovision Albania 2006)

Sherif Merdani – Duart e Nënës
Mariza Ikonomi – Udhët janë të bukura (“Kafe Flora”)
Luiz Ejlli – Kur vjen pranvera
Juliana Pasha – Natën vonë

International guest:

Compact Disco, the Hungarian representative at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.