Korca’s Feast of Beer starts its seventh edition

August 13th is the annual starting date of a five consecutive nights of Korça’s Feast of Beer , which is one of the biggest public feasts in Albania, with the participation of more than 100.000 persons.

The event will be  attended by a large number of locals and foreign visitors who will have the opportunity to taste the cold beer and the traditional products of the city, including meat balls known as “kërnacka.”
The Feast of Beer organizes annually by “Birra Korça” (Korça Beer), the first Albanian beer, which has been sold since 1930 and is brewed on the basis of German recipes, in cooperation with the municipality of this town in the southeast of the country. Music, is performed by many local and foreign bands.

Korca city si very known for its ‘serenades’, which date back to the 30s when the city was an open port for foreign cultures and civilisations and its people were among the first Albanians to emigrate to Australia.
Korça, often considered Albania’s cradle of culture (the first Albanian school was opened here as well as the French Lyceum in 1917), stands out now as the leading city of traditional celebrations in Albania. Unlike other cities in the country, Korça follows a calendar of events, thus making the cultural life of this city of 86.000 inhabitants constantly vivid.

Surrounded by a festive atmosphere throughout the year, this city hosts a series of national and international cultural events including The Week of Culture, The Korça Carnivals, The Pie Feast, The Korça Nights of Poetry, The Colony of Sculptors, the colony of painters “Vangjush Mio,” The End-of-Year Fair, the international photography competition “Sotir” and others.

The beer festival is considered as the conclusion of the tourist season. It takes place in the most beautiful part of the city – the “Rinia” Park. You can read the slogan of the event, “There is always time for a beer,” on T-shirts, displays, souvenirs, billboards and banners.

Photo credits: Gazeta Idea