On October 13th, 2024, the Theater of Opera and Ballet in Tirana showed one of the most famous ballets, “The Sleeping Beauty.”

The magical fairy tale is about the beautiful princess Aurora, who fell asleep for a hundred years due to the curse of Maleficent, the evil fairy, who was angry because Aurora’s parents invited everyone in the kingdom except her to their daughter’s baptism. 

Besides the timeless story, the dancers engaged me perfectly with their excellent technique and feelings. This corpse de ballet, which I didn’t know before the show, caught my attention immediately and made me leave the TKOB, still amazed by the hard work behind these talented dancers, including the younger ones.

Everything felt perfect, from the immortal soundtracks to the most complex technical dance steps. 

The tickets sold out.

Not only for this show but for all concerts and performances, the tickets at the Theater of Opera and Ballet are sold immediately. Tirana citizens and tourists love the culture, concerts, and shows. It is a pity that there are no other institutions like the Theater of Opera and Ballet to offer more events like this in Tirana. In a city with 1 million inhabitants and millions of tourists yearly, more theaters, operas, circuses, and folk dance activities must be offered to Tirana’s cultural scene.

The online tickets?!

Yet, it is impossible to buy tickets online in this giant institution. You have to go there and get your ticket in the first days after the announcement of the new show. The problem is that the shows are only one day or two or three days, so many people who want to see the ballet or opera will not have the chance if they don’t run to buy the tickets in the first days.

For example, for the latest ballet, “The Sleeping Beauty,” I had to show up at TKOB a week before the event to ensure I’d have my tickets, although most of the seats had already been reserved or sold. Unfortunately, TKOB’s messy organization is a bother for the tourists, who are, ironically, the majority of the theater’s public. Also I couldn’t pay with any type of card, they just accept cash, a common issue here in Albania that inevitably, puts visitors in difficulty.

Anyway, it is a great experience, and it is highly recommended that you see Albanian artists performing fantastic, internationally famous shows and Albanian productions. Make sure to visit the calendar at the Opera and Ballet Palace entrance before you decide what to see and when. You can also check the updated information on the TKOB social media channels or Visit the Tirana events database.