Tirana’s Street Parties

Albania’s Mediterranean climate, with its warm days and cool nights, allows for complete enjoyment of life for the majority of the year. As spring approaches, the capital’s pubs, restaurants, and cafes transform into open spaces, where tables are arranged among gardens and verandas, creating an atmosphere where the wonderful climate can be truly savored as one enjoys a drink, a delicious dish and the company of friends. In Albania, the official beginning of the lively spring season is the 14th of March, a day that is celebrated in the entire country. On this pagan holiday, known as the Day of Summer, the entire Albanian population celebrates the approaching warm seasons.  This year the celebrations in Tirana have been postponed for the 17th of March. Tirana has created a tradition of its own with organized street parties that have now become synonymous with the Day of Summer. As in the previous years, the famous party center of town, Blloku, will take the party out into the streets through three different music stages. For 12 consecutive hours, the area will be flooded with crowds enjoying live concerts or dancing to the rhythm of famous international DJs, brought from cities like London and Los Angeles to give the atmosphere that extra oomph! From noon to midnight, the energy in the streets of Blloku will be unbeatable! The popularity of the street parties has skyrocketed with more and more young people joining in and sharing their experiences online. Last year, thousands of check-ins, photos, and social media stories inundate the participants’ social profiles. Now, it seems as if this celebration has always been a historical event in Albania’s capital! Fairly new, this tradition serves as the perfect reminder to people who live in the contemporary world of Instagram and Netflix, who have passed the winter months in the comfort of their homes or offices, that there is more to life than work digital exchanges! The street parties of Tirana are places where you can meet people from all walks of life, have tons of fascinating conversations, and dance your day and night away. Spring fever has met its match!