YES WE VOTE Tirana

Posted by sally DeSipio
October 10, 2026

Chair, Global Women's Caucus

YES WE VOTE Tirana

In January 1991, roughly 10,000 people walked into Skanderbeg Square without permission, and Albania’s dictatorship began to come apart.

Almost exactly 36 years later, we start a race in that same square.

YES WE VOTE Tirana is a team scavenger hunt run on Amazing Race-style rules, along a route that covers half a century of authoritarian rule. Your team starts in the years of fascist occupation, runs through the decades when the secret police watched everyone, and keeps going until you reach the places where Albanians took their country back. Every stop has a challenge standing between you and the next one. Some will test your nerve, and at least one will test your conscience.

The finish line is the brighter future this race runs toward - a place that used to be only for the elite, but now is one of the hottest spots in town. We’ll toast the winners there and hand out the prizes.

Whether you're in it for a day of family fun, a walk through history, or the fun of taking on unique challenges, you'll have a blast.

When: Saturday 16 January 2027, 10:00 am CET (rain date Sunday 17 January)
Start: Skanderbeg Square in front of the statue
Teams: 4 to 5 people. Register as a team, or sign up solo and we’ll put you on one.
Bring: A charged phone, shoes you can run in, and an umbrella for January (light rain, we continue, heavy rain will postpone).

For Americans abroad, the finish line is also where the next step starts. Every overseas voter has to send a new ballot request each year, and our team will be at the bar to help you request yours for 2027. Register your team now.

WHEN

Saturday, January 16, 2027 at 02:00 AM Eastern Time (US & Canada) Time

WHERE

Skanderbeg Square
Tirana, Tirana County
Albania
Google map and directions

CONTACT

Sally DeSipio
[email protected]

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