ZAGREB, 14 Jan (Hina) – This year once again, large numbers of carnival revellers are expected at the Rijeka Carnival, which begins on  Saturday, and the central event, the International Carnival Parade, is scheduled for 15 February, since Ash Wednesday is on 18 February.

The main parade along Korzo Street will feature about 10,000 domestic and international masked participants in traditional and urban carnival groups.

After the handover of the “key to the city” to revellers on Saturday, later the same day the Pust will be erected in the Rijeka neighbourhoods of Pehlin, Pašac and Zamet. The Pust effigy is a figure blamed for all social injustices and misfortunes.

The programme of the Rijeka Carnival 2026 was presented at a press conference on Wednesday by Mayor Iva Rinčić, Director of the Rijeka Tourist Board Petar Škarpa, Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board Irena Peršić Živadinov and other local representatives.

The selection of the new Queen of the Rijeka Carnival is scheduled for 23 January when the masked participants will choose the most charming representative.

The Children’s Carnival Parade, in which thousands of masked children will take part and dance, will pass through the city centre on 31 January.

The programme includes a wide range of carnival events, among them a masked bowls tournament, Days of Laughter, masked dances, the Night of Crinolines, the selection of the Prince and Princess of the Rijeka Carnival, the Carnival Snowboard Session, children’s masquerade balls, as well as sporting and humanitarian events.

Rinčić said that the Rijeka Carnival is one of the most important events in Rijeka, an important and recognisable brand that brings a part of heritage and tradition, conveying a message of togetherness.

The Rijeka Carnival was revived in 1982, when only three masked groups paraded along Rijeka’s Korzo – the Halubaj Bell Ringers, the Pehlin Revellers, and the group “Lako Ćemo”.