Busking Balkans: Albania 2025—The street art festival featuring international performers will take place on 15-16 May in Vlora and 17-18 May in Tirana.

Busking Balkans: Albania 2025 is a 4-day celebration of street performing arts including live music, freestyle football, circus disciplines such as comedy, acrobatics, juggling, magic, and many more.

The festival is a joint production of Tirana-based balkanbusker.com and Polish Director Ma?gorzata W?glarz (Busker.pl).

Florian Agalli (balkanbusker.com):

"In recent years, busking festivals have become an integral part of the cultural life of cities around the world. Until now, Albania has not hosted similar events, leaving it off the street performance map. The festival aims to become an annual event and establish itself as a key point in the cultural calendar of the wider Western Balkans region. This year we are starting in two cities: Vlora and Tirana, and aim to expand to other cities, not only in Albania, but also in neighbouring countries".

Busking Balkans is curated by an artistic director and street festival producer, Ma?gorzata W?glarz (Busker.pl) from Poland:

"I'm looking forward to bringing street artists from all over the world to Albania, helping promote busking culture and building the community of street art enthusiasts in new places.

Our goal is not only to present shows but also to inspire people to learn new circus disciplines and encourage artists to perform on the streets. Busking shows combine artistic and circus genres, skills and personalities. In no other scenario, the performer and audience are so close, and the art is accessible to everyone.

All the buskers I have selected are ready to showcase their skills, and ideas, and share passion and busking spirit when a planned script and improvisation blend and passers-by become an audience.

Busking Balkans, similar to Busker Tour I run in Poland, is a travelling festival, and we plan to add more towns in the future and start a new tradition of opening the European busking season in the Balkans".

Line-up

Cesco | Italy/Thailand | Clownery

DEANisHOME | Bulgaria | Music

Gato Blanco Gato Negro | Argentina | Circus: archery, juggling, clownery

Ian Deadly | UK | Circus: Juggling, comedy, hula-hop

Juggling Dom | Australia | Circus: Juggling, rope walking

Plucie Ogniem | Poland | Fireshow

Richard Filby | Australia | Circus: Rola bola, juggling

Stefan Florescu | Romania | Football freestyle, diabolo

TENTA | Japan | Magic

Free entry

Street art thrives on interaction with the audience, and buskers receive most of their salary in the form of tips from the audience. Performers come to Albania from various corners of the world. If you can, please show your appreciation and to help our artists avoid carrying a heavy load of coins, we’d suggest that you – in their interest – mostly drop bills into their hats.

Schedule

May 15, Vlora Lungomare (Waterfront Promenade), Grand Opening at 6:00 PM;

May 16, Vlora Lungomare, morning show 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and evening show 6:00 PM-10:00 PM.

May 17, Tirana, Piramida and Parku Rinia, evening show 6:00 PM-10:00 PM;

May 18, Tirana, Piramida and Parku Rinia, morning show 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and evening show 6:00 PM-10:00 PM.