Children's New Year's Eve at Trsat Castle: Balloons, Mascots, and Noon Countdown for the Youngest
Trsat Castle in Rijeka turns into a large outdoor children's playground again on the last day of this year. On Wednesday, December 31, 2025, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, a children's New Year's Eve celebration will be held at the Trsat Fortress, specially designed for the youngest visitors and their families. The program includes animators, a DJ with music adapted for children, cheerful mascots, and a spectacular noon countdown with a "fireworks" of balloons, and entry to the event is free.
The event takes place as part of the "Winter at the Castle" manifestation, which transforms Trsat Castle into one of Rijeka's central holiday stages throughout December. For parents who want to extend their stay in the city and turn it into a short holiday break, it is practical to check the accommodation offer in Rijeka on time, in order to fit the children's New Year's party into a family weekend or a short winter getaway.
Traditional Morning Celebration Adapted for Children
The Children's New Year's Eve at Trsat Castle has become an unavoidable part of Rijeka's holiday offer in recent years. Unlike classic, evening New Year's celebrations, here everything is subordinate to the children's rhythm: the program takes place before noon, ends at 12 o'clock, and instead of the midnight countdown, the "Children's New Year" arrives exactly at noon.
The organizers point out that this is an event that combines playful fun, imaginative scenography, and interactive content, so that children experience the excitement of New Year's Eve – but in a time slot adapted to their age and in an environment designed to be pleasant for both children and parents. The spacious courtyard of Trsat Castle thereby becomes a large outdoor dance floor, filled with music, laughter, and colors.
Given that Trsat attracts families from the entire region, as well as visitors from other parts of Croatia and neighboring countries, many combine the children's arrival at the New Year's program with a short visit to the city. For such families, it is especially useful to plan their arrival in advance and consider accommodation in Rijeka during the holidays, so they could link the day of the children's celebration with a tour of Advent locations in the city center.
Program from 10:30 to 12:30: Animators, DJ, and Outdoor Games
The morning program at Trsat Castle begins at 10:30 AM, when the fortress courtyard is taken over by animators and a DJ with a children's playlist. Music, simple choreographies, and interactive games turn the space into a dance stage where children, encouraged by animators, freely join the dancing and group games. The goal is for children to feel included, regardless of age, so the activities are designed so that both younger and older little ones can participate in them.
Throughout the entire program, the youngest are accompanied by cheerful mascots: popular characters Mickey and Minnie, the New Year's Rabbit, and Zmajko, who hang out with the children, dance, and pose for photos. Encounters with mascots have been one of the segments that children remember most in recent years, as they combine elements of cartoon heroes, carnival cheerfulness, and holiday atmosphere.
To make the experience complete, additional content such as face painting and a photo corner is available to children. Parents thus get the opportunity to record moments with holiday scenography, and children take home memories in the form of photos and colorful motifs drawn on their faces. In addition, plenty of small gifts and surprises are foreseen, so every child gets a chance to take home a concrete souvenir at some point in the program.
At the entrance to the event area, children receive a New Year's hat, party glasses, sparklers, and other props, so that the very arrival at the fortress looks like entering a small New Year's carnival. Such props contribute to the visual impression of the event, but also encourage children to get involved in group games, dancing, and the noon countdown.
Clown Marko, Face Painting, and "Noon Magic"
A special attraction of the program is the New Year's show by Clown Marko, who brings a combination of clown gags, magic, and audience involvement to the youngest. Such programs are specially designed for a child audience – with short, dynamic acts, emphasized communication with children, and lots of laughter. The clown's performance, along with the musical background and animators, creates the impression of their own, children's version of a New Year's concert.
During the program, shorter face painting sessions are occasionally organized, so that children can choose the motifs they want: from New Year's stars and snowflakes to colorful masks and cartoon characters. In combination with hats, glasses, and sparklers, the entire space of Trsat Castle turns into a colorful mosaic of colors, which further enhances the impression of celebration.
All activities are led by animators who have experience working with children and are used to leading group games and short dance choreographies. Parents can follow the children in the immediate vicinity, stay on the edge of the dance floor, or join the program, depending on the age of the little ones and their own preferences.
Noon Countdown and "Fireworks" of 500 Balloons
The highlight of the children's New Year's Eve is the traditional noon countdown. Exactly at 12 o'clock, instead of classic fireworks, large New Year's spheres are activated above the gathered children, from which more than 500 colorful balloons descend. This "balloon fireworks" is designed as a safe but visually attractive alternative to pyrotechnics, specially adapted to the sensitivity of the youngest.
Balloons swooping down from a height create the impression of a colorful umbrella over the castle courtyard, and children spontaneously reach for them, jumping, laughing, and trying to catch as many balloons as possible. Photos from earlier editions of the event show that this moment is most often the one that children later recount as "their New Year".
After the end of the countdown and the balloon spectacle, a short joint toast with children's champagne follows. It is a non-alcoholic beverage intended for children, served in plastic cups, which symbolically imitates the adults' New Year's toast, but in a safe way and completely adapted to children's age. This rounds off the idea that children have "their own" celebration, in their own time and with their own rituals.
Free Entry and Organization as Part of "Winter at the Castle"
The Children's New Year's Eve at Trsat Castle is part of the "Winter at the Castle" program, which includes a series of holiday events, light installations, and themed evenings at the Trsat Fortress in November and December. According to the organizers' announcements, entry to the children's celebration is free, which further facilitates participation planning for families, especially those with multiple children.
The event is organized by the Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka in cooperation with partners, which continues to develop Trsat Castle through this program as one of the key city locations for cultural, tourist, and holiday events. The combination of the historic fortress, the view of the city and Kvarner Bay, and a modern, family program has proven to be a winning formula for creating a holiday atmosphere that equally attracts local families and visitors from outside.
Trsat Castle is located at the address Petra Zrinskog bb on Trsat, and it is possible to reach it by city bus lines, with a short walk from the station, or by private vehicle to nearby parking lots, depending on current traffic regulations. Due to the expected larger crowd, organizers advise arriving earlier, in order to avoid the rush immediately before the noon countdown.
For visitors coming to Rijeka only for the children's program, it is recommended to plan a tour of the city center, Korzo, and other holiday locations alongside the visit to Trsat Castle. In that case, it is practical to consider accommodation near Trsat Castle or in the wider city center in advance, which allows for a more relaxed stay and easier coordination with the children's daily rhythm.
Safety, Weather, and Recommendations for Parents
Given that the children's celebration takes place outdoors, at Trsat Castle, the weather forecast plays a key role. In the past, situations have been recorded where certain programs at the Trsat Fortress had to be postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions, which shows how careful the organizers are when it comes to the safety and comfort of children. Parents are therefore recommended to follow the official channels of the Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka and the "Winter at the Castle" manifestation before arrival, where possible schedule changes are published.
Winter conditions on Trsat can be colder and windier than in the center of Rijeka, so the recommendation is for children to be well bundled up, with hats, scarves, and gloves, and footwear adapted for walking on the stone and potentially damp surfaces of the castle. For younger children, it is practical to bring additional layers of clothing as well, so they could adjust to current temperatures during their stay outside.
Parents are advised to explain basic rules of behavior in a crowd to children – holding hands, agreeing on a meeting place in case they get separated briefly, and a positive approach to sharing space with other children. Organizers and animators help maintain order, but in large groups, it is always important for adults to stay close to their little ones.
In order to avoid crowds when leaving after the noon countdown, it is advisable not to rush immediately after the balloon "fireworks", but to allow children to finish playing and say goodbye to the mascots in peace. This also relieves the entrance/exit area, and allows parents to organize their return home or the continuation of the daily program in the city in peace.
Trsat Castle as a Holiday Backdrop and Part of the Wider Rijeka Offer
Trsat Castle attracts visitors throughout the rest of the year with its history and view of Rijeka and Kvarner, but during "Winter at the Castle", its role is further emphasized through light installations, themed programs, and New Year's events. The Children's New Year's Eve fits into that story as a morning, family segment of the holidays, while evening concerts, classic celebrations, and other programs for adults are held in the city in the evening.
In a broader context, the children's celebration on Trsat is part of the trend of organizing noon celebrations for children in many Croatian cities. Similar programs, with animators, music, and children's champagne, are organized by other cities and municipalities as well, thereby enabling children to have their own, safe, and time-adapted experience of entering the new year. Trsat Castle thereby has the additional advantage of a unique historical backdrop and a view of the city, which gives the event a recognizable visual identity.
For visitors who decide to spend the day in Rijeka, the children's celebration can be an introduction to a tour of Advent locations in the city center, a walk along Korzo, a visit to Christmas fairs, and enjoyment of the holiday gastronomic offer. In that sense, it is useful to consider accommodation in Rijeka for visitors to the children's celebration in a timely manner, so that families coming from more distant areas could plan their arrival a day earlier or return a day after the event.
The Children's New Year's Eve at Trsat Castle thus positions itself as a blend of tradition and contemporary family tourism: on the one hand, it preserves the custom of joint countdown and celebration, and on the other hand, it offers a format that is completely adapted to the youngest – without staying up late, with an emphasis on play, safety, and togetherness. For many families, exactly that morning celebration will remain the most important holiday moment that children will remember and retell long after the holiday lights at the Trsat Fortress go quiet.
Sources:
- Dogadanja.com – announcement "Winter at the Castle: Children's New Year's Eve" with program, schedule, and information about free entry (link)
- AllEvents.in – description of the event "Winter at the Castle: Children's New Year's Eve" with date, location, and additional program details (link)
- VisitRijeka – information about Children's New Year's Eve at Trsat Castle as part of the "Winter at the Castle" manifestation (link)
- MojaRijeka – calendar of events with announcements of the children's celebration on Trsat and New Year's programs in Rijeka (link)
- Regionalni.hr – news about the earlier postponement of the children's program at the Trsat Fortress due to unfavorable weather conditions, as context for concern for children's safety (link)
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