Every October, the mountains around Peja turn gold. Rotary Club Peja, joined by Rotaract Club Peja, made that season into a festival celebrating nature, under the theme “Rotary in Harmony with Nature”.
The Golden Leaf Festival invites everyone, from local students to Rotarians around the world, to share photos (and more recently paintings, poems and songs) inspired by autumn. Festival weeks have included trips to the Rugova Gorge and valley, picnics with Rotary clubs from Kosovo and Albania, and a closing evening where the winners are announced.
The festival supports young artists, promotes tourism, and contributes to the economic development of Peja and Kosovo. Every international participant is offered free accommodation with a Peja Rotarian family for the next edition.
- 2015, first edition, with the motto “Environmental challenges” and support from VALA: Rotarians from clubs across Kosovo.
- 2016: Rotarians and artists from 7 European countries.
- 2017: entries from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa.
- 2018: entries from 18 countries, including Australia and South America.
- 2019: new categories for poetry, songs and paintings.
- 2020–2021: not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2022, 6th edition: the best photos from Albania, Kosovo and the USA were awarded.
- 2023, 7th edition: winners from Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo.
- 2024, 8th edition: theme “Water, Air and Earth”.
