Charity exhibition “Smiling Faces of the Rijeka Carnival” opens on 20 February on Korzo
In the heart of Rijeka, on Korzo in front of the Tourist Information Centre (Korzo 14), on Friday, 20 February 2026 at 1 p.m., a charity photo exhibition titled
“Smiling Faces of the Rijeka Carnival” opens. It is an event that for years has fitted into the city’s carnival rhythm as a recognizable blend of tradition, public space and solidarity, and this year the emphasis is especially on the charitable purpose:
all proceeds from the sale of photographs are intended for Val Radovanović.
The exhibition is set up on display panels on Korzo, where the carnival during the “fifth season” lives most intensely – among passers-by, visitors and masked revelers who in those days naturally flow toward the city center. For those coming from outside Rijeka or planning to stay for several days, it is practical to check
accommodation in Rijeka in time, especially since the end of February is traditionally associated with increased demand during carnival events.
Who organizes the exhibition and who opens it
This year’s edition of the exhibition is organized by
Foto studio Kurti, the
Rijeka Tourist Board and the
City of Rijeka. The opening will, according to the organizers’ announcement, be led by Nikola Kurti, a representative of Foto studio Kurti, and Jelena Grubelić Kušeta from the Rijeka Tourist Board, who, as part of the program for developing and promoting destination content, takes part in coordinating carnival activities.
The event is set up as an open invitation to citizens and visitors: the exhibition is viewed while walking, without “tickets” and without gallery walls, and the charitable goal is achieved through the purchase of selected photographs. Precisely that format – photography as a keepsake and a donation as concrete help – in recent years has become an important part of Rijeka’s carnival identity.
What the “Smiling Faces” display brings and why Korzo matters
The motif of the exhibition is the faces of the carnival: smiles, masks, costume details, moments from parades and street events that are remembered even after the confetti is swept away. The photographic approach here is not only documentary, but also socially important – because it reminds that the carnival is not just a “program”, but a community of people, families, associations and groups who invest months of work in it.
The location on Korzo is not accidental. Korzo is Rijeka’s main promenade and the most recognizable stage of the carnival program, from ceremonial moments to parades. The Tourist Information Centre at Korzo 14 is a particularly busy point – visitors come there for information about the program, the city and stay logistics, but also for basic guidance for navigating during crowds. In practice, this means that the exhibition will be seen both by those who came intentionally and by many accidental passers-by, which makes the charitable message stronger.
If you plan to come for the opening or to visit the display, and you want to combine the exhibition with a weekend in the city, it is useful to look earlier at
accommodation offers near Korzo, because staying in the very center is most practical for following carnival content on foot.
The exhibition is part of the official Rijeka Carnival 2026 program.
According to the published Rijeka Carnival 2026 program, “Smiling Faces of the Carnival” will be displayed on Korzo in the period
from 19 February to 5 March. In this way, the exhibition covers the liveliest part of the carnival season: the days after the international parade, but also the period in which the city continues to live the carnival through numerous accompanying programs, guest appearances and charitable actions.
The very fact that the display lasts longer than one day makes it accessible to a wider audience. The opening on 20 February at 1 p.m. is the symbolic start of this year’s charitable edition, but the exhibition is also experienced later – on a walk, on the way to work or while waiting for friends before evening events.
How to get involved: a photograph as a donation
The organizers emphasize a simple principle: by purchasing photographs from the exhibition, visitors directly participate in fundraising. In this way, a carnival “souvenir” is turned into concrete support, and public space becomes a place of joint action.
- Come to Korzo and view the display on the panels in front of the TIC (Korzo 14).
- Choose a photograph that is especially dear to you – as a keepsake of the carnival and its atmosphere.
- By purchasing a photograph you participate in the charitable purpose: the proceeds are directed to Val Radovanović.
For visitors coming from other cities or from abroad, planning a visit often goes hand in hand with organizing a stay. That is why increased interest is expected again this year for
accommodation for visitors in Rijeka, especially around the dates of key carnival events and weekends.
The charitable dimension of the carnival: why an exhibition like this is more than an “accompanying program”
For years, the Rijeka Carnival has been building a reputation not only as a major cultural-tourism manifestation but also as an event with a pronounced social component. Charitable activities – from gala events to street actions – often accompany the carnival calendar and include various organizations, clubs and initiatives. In that context, “Smiling Faces of the Rijeka Carnival” carry additional weight because they are in the city center and because they are visible to everyone, regardless of whether someone takes part in the parade or is just a visitor.
This year the focus is clearly defined: help for Val Radovanović. According to available media reports on charitable initiatives in Rijeka and the surrounding area, it is a child for whom funds are being raised for therapies and related costs, and part of the activities take place through various actions and donations in the community. The organizers of the exhibition emphasize that all income from the sale of photographs is intended precisely for that purpose.
Such a choice of beneficiary and the open, public form of the exhibition connect two values of the carnival: joy and solidarity. On Korzo, both the “lighter” side of the carnival – colors, laughter, creativity – and the more serious one, in which the community mobilizes around a concrete need, meet at the same time.
Rijeka during the carnival period: logistics, crowds and the city experience
The end of February in Rijeka is habitually “reserved” for carnival dynamics, and that also means a different pulse of the city: more people in the center, occasional traffic regulations, heavier weekend traffic toward the center and a large number of events indoors and outdoors. For those arriving by car, it helps to plan arrival earlier, and for those arriving by public transport it is useful to rely on the walkable accessibility of the center.
The opening of the exhibition on Friday at 1 p.m. fits into the daily rhythm of Korzo, when the city is in full swing. Visitors who want a calmer viewing often choose late afternoon or morning hours on other days, while those who want to feel the opening atmosphere will come exactly at the announced event time.
If you are coming with a plan to stay in the city for several days, the advantage is to be close to the center: the exhibition, Korzo and key locations of carnival events are then a few minutes’ walk away. In that case it is worth checking
accommodation near the event location, because in the carnival season the best options in the center are often the first to fill up.
Foto studio Kurti and the visual chronicle of the carnival
The “faces of the carnival” in Rijeka are not made only by the participants of parades, but also by those who have been following and documenting them for years. The role of photography is special there: it becomes an archive of collective memory, proof of continuity and a way to present the carnival even to those who did not experience it live.
The project of the charity exhibition relies precisely on that visual capital. The photographic material on panels on Korzo is at the same time a document and an invitation – a reminder of how broad and diverse the carnival is, but also an encouragement to help a concrete goal by participating in the purchase of photographs.
In practice, such exhibitions also have an educational dimension: visitors often notice details of traditional masks, local customs and different carnival groups that they may not have been able to “catch” in passing during the parade. On Korzo, in the calmer rhythm of a walk, photography makes it possible for that experience to last longer than a few seconds.
The opening on 20 February as a public invitation to togetherness
The opening of the exhibition on Friday, 20 February 2026 at 1 p.m., is conceived as a short, clear and open event in the city space. In such a format there is no distance between the “audience” and the “stage”: everyone is on Korzo, among the panels, in the same walk and the same rhythm of the city. That is precisely why the message of the charitable purpose can reach a large number of people without formalities.
For Rijeka, which experiences the carnival as part of its identity, such content is a reminder that manifestations are not only a “tourist product” but also a social mechanism: they bring people together, create shared moments and, when needed, mobilize help. The exhibition “Smiling Faces of the Rijeka Carnival” does that directly this year – turning carnival photographs into support for Val Radovanović, and leaving on Korzo a trace that is at the same time emotional, documentary and practically oriented.
Sources:- Rijeka Tourist Board – official Rijeka Carnival 2026 program with the exhibition dates for “Smiling Faces of the Carnival” ( link )- Visit Rijeka – information about the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) and the Korzo 14 location ( link )- City of Rijeka – earlier official announcement about the charity photo sales exhibition “Smiling Faces of the Rijeka Carnival” and the organization of the project ( link )- Novi list – report on the charity action for Val Radovanović and the need to raise funds for therapies ( link )- HRT Radio Rijeka – news about a donation and a charity action for Val Radovanović ( link )
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