What to do in March in Tirana

Spring has sprung in Tirana! Time to enjoy sunny days and the blossom of this lovely month in the liveliest capital Tirana. Admire the long walks amid blooming trees in Grand Park of Tirana, Kavaja Street, Xhamlliku and Lana River.

Albanians celebrate 4 special days on March: 7 March -Teacher’s Day, 8 March- Mother’s Day, 14 March “Summer Day” and 22 March “Nowruz Day”.

7-8 March “Teachers and Women's Day”

7-8 March have always been seen as festive days. Since the communist regime, 7-8 March were two days celebrated widely for all Albanians. The first one, is 7 March, the Teacher’s Day, related with opening of first Albanian School in Korca in 1887. On this day pupils and students give flowers to their teachers as to show their gratitude.  

In Albania the 8th March was mostly celebrated as Mother’s Day not Women's Day. It was a day to buy gifts to mothers and grandmothers, and to thank them for raising us. But now has changed. It is celebrated as International Women’s Day. Many women celebrate with their colleagues, others protest for better life and opportunities.

14 March- Summer Day

In 14th March we celebrate the Summer Day. It is a unique festival for Albania. It was a festive tradition which was celebrated only in Elbasan area (see the story here), but the last decade it has been spread all over the country. Now 14th March is a public holiday for all Albanians and is a day when we celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is interesting that we call it ‘Summer Day” and not Spring Day, since the warm days starts very soon in our country, which have 300 sunny days per year.

22 March- Nowruz Day

Nowruz is a Public Holiday in Albania, and is much celebrated, especially by Bektashi believers.  Nowruz (literally "new day") is the name of the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year.  In Albania Novruz Day, the most important holiday of Bektashism, was proclaimed as a national holiday in 1996.

Art and Culture

For art lovers, they can see exhibitions at the National Gallery of Arts as well as at the COD center, which is inside the Prime Ministry building.

While theater shows will continue to broadcast live stream on Facebook. All theaters in Albania have join together to bring their best performances to the online public. The Opera and Ballet Theater will also continue broadcasting online the best performances.

The International Watercolor Biennale is a very interesting event worth attending. This is the fourth edition and will take place from 13 to 24 March 2021 at the National Historical Museum.

Enjoy nature! There are many beautiful natural places in Tirana where you can enjoy the springtime. For a unique experience we recommend the cable car ride with the Dajti Express to Dajti Mountain.

If you want to explore other places and natural attractions in Tirana, here you will find a list of tours that we organize. The seasonal photo contest # TiranaSpring2021 opens at the beginning of March. You can participate by posting on Instagram photos taken during spring in Tirana.

Be safe and enjoy March in Tirana!