The day before, in Grebaje, our waiter Adis mentioned something that immediately caught my attention: the August 1st festival in Vuthaj. He told us it’s held every year on the same date, and that it has been going on for 25 years in a row. So the next day, me and my friend David decided to go and see it for ourselves.
The moment we arrived, we knew it wasn’t a small local gathering. There were people everywhere music playing, groups walking in from every direction, and that feeling you get when a whole community is celebrating at once. It wasn’t just Vuthaj. You could hear Albanian accents from all over: Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, and the wider diaspora. It felt like a reunion mixed with a festival loud, warm, and full of energy.
What hit me the most wasn’t even the music at first.
It was the food.
The Lamb That Made Us Stop Everything
I’m not exaggerating when I say I couldn’t ignore it—the smell of lamb roasting was everywhere. Whole lambs were being cooked slowly, and you could see people waiting, talking, watching the fire like it was part of the show.
Me and David ended up ordering 2 kilograms of meat, and we paid €60. Was it expensive? Maybe. But when it arrived, it was cooked perfectly soft, full of flavor, the kind of meat you don’t even need sauces for. We just ate and looked at each other like, “Okay… this is worth it.”
That meal alone would have been enough to remember the day, but the festival kept going.
Football, Horses, and the “Gjyle” Challenge
After the food, the games started. That day there was a football tournament, horse racing, and the traditional gjyle throwing the heavy weight challenge that people take seriously. It wasn’t just entertainment; you could feel the pride behind it. People weren’t watching politely. They were reacting, cheering, arguing about results, and enjoying it like it mattered.
We stayed in Vuthaj until around 17:00, and then the day shifted into the next chapter.
From Vuthaj to Guci: Where the Night Continued
In the evening, everyone moved toward Guci, where people gathered again and the atmosphere continued. It felt like the festival didn’t really end it just changed location.
We spent the night there and booked Hotel Metro, right in the center of Guci. The price was €15 per person, plus €1 city tax per person. After a long day in the mountains, it was exactly what we needed a shower, a bed, and that quiet feeling you get when you’ve done something real.
That night ended up being unforgettable not because it was perfect, but because it felt alive. The kind of day where you eat well, meet people without trying, and go to sleep with the sound of the festival still in your head.