KALA’s marketing is impressive, but BABMAG wanted to know whether the festival, set in Albania, is truly the paradise it seems.
So, as early bird tickets for 2020 hit the web, we ask some Brum dwellers who attended this year’s festival to share their idyllic holiday snaps, musings on the festival and dish-out some tips to making KALA the Eden that’s advertised.
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Photo: Jade Houlahan / @jadehoulahan © 2019
Get a pad near the beach! Or check where your accommodation is and plan how’ll get to, and from the festival site everyday. We stayed here at HH Boutique, a 10 minute walk up the hill from the Yacht Club – it was manageable and combined with dancing for a week, a very good work out! The hotel itself was luxury and the staff were lovely. Fortunately, the festival offers a shuttle bus to transport you to most the offsite accommodation.
Paradise delivers.
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Get currency before coming as there is only one ATM and it isn’t the most reliable. It’s only within the festival site that it’s cashless.
World without money… Paradise?
Photo: Jade Houlahan / @jadehoulahan © 2019
You’ll discover quite quickly why everyone swarms Lucianos for meal times. Amazing sea food, good prices and one of the very few places that takes card, it appears iZettle hasn’t reached Albania yet!
Seafood diet.. Paradise for you?
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Consider getting a place with a kitchen. Linguine and pizza can get repetitive.
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Make the trip to the secret beach or Gjipe! A trip offsite might seem daunting but it’s definitely worth the journey. Get your tickets in advance because it is usually sold out by the time the festival has started.
This place really is paradise.
Photo: Jade Houlahan / @jadehoulahan © 2019
Explore outside of the festival, walk the opposite direction, or carry on walking… You’ll discover some quieter beaches and Havana, a boujie beach club along Drymades Beach with tunes to rival the festival.
Paradise everywhere you venture.
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
Hottest tip: Connect to a Greek phone network to enable free roaming!
Paradise when you don’t come home to a massive phone bill.
Photo: Matty Barton / @barton8or © 2019
As for the rest… your next chance to find out and book is 24th October.
→ www.kala.al
Follow our Brumtowners on IG:
@barton8or, @mala_vanja, @jadehoulahan