People who make the carnival: Leo Rudan from Lumber Club Opatija and the story of the “fifth season” that connects Rijeka and Opatija
The Rijeka Carnival has for decades held a special place on the map of Croatian winter events: it is not just a parade of masks, but a multilayered tradition in which humor, social commentary, and local identity merge into what is often called the “fifth season” in the Kvarner region. According to the program published on the official pages of the Rijeka destination, the peak of the 2026 season will be the International Carnival Parade on Sunday, February 15, while the children's parade takes place on January 31, and the election of the Rijeka Carnival Queen on January 23. In the same period, according to the announcement published in the media based on HINA's information, the takeover of the “key to the city” is announced for January 17. In practice, this means that Rijeka will, already from the second half of January, live in the rhythm of masks, music, and street energy that spills over into the surrounding places as well.
In this mosaic of people and stories, one of the clearest confirmations that the carnival is made by – carnivalists – comes from Opatija. Lumber Club Opatija, known for performances, jokes, and persistent preservation of local customs, has for years connected the Opatija carnival scene with the Rijeka one. As part of the personalized campaign “People who make the carnival”, after the presentation of Sandra Picco from Draške maškare, into focus comes Leo Rudan: a man who does not perceive the carnival as a one-time outing in a costume, but as a space of togetherness, playfulness, and, as he says, meaningful joy.
If you plan to come to the parades and carnival days, crowds and closed streets also mean practical questions – from arrival to stay. For visitors who want to be close to the events, it is useful to check in time
accommodation in Rijeka during the carnival or options in the vicinity, especially when the weekends approach.
From craft everyday life to the carnival stage
Leo Rudan is by profession a car mechanic and car electrician, and in everyday life, he is self-employed in his own craft. Cars and technology are his job and interest, but the carnival is a space where, at least briefly, priorities become different: instead of tools and diagnostics, in the foreground are laughter, communication with the audience, and teamwork. He prefers to spend his free time traveling with his girlfriend Elizabeth and meeting new countries and cultures, but, as he points out, the carnival has a special place – as a tradition that is lived, not just observed.
He made his first “big” carnival step in 2018, when he participated in the Rijeka Carnival for the first time. That moment, he describes, carried excitement that reminds more of a performance than a walk: the parade passed “incredibly fast”, but the impression remained strong because of the atmosphere, the audience, and the feeling that you are part of a bigger story. In that detail lies one of the key differences between spectators and carnivalists: the former get an experience, and the latter build it.
Precisely because of that, when he speaks about what attracted him to the carnival, he does not single out just one thing. For him, it is a combination of fun, masking, and tradition. In that mixture, the family dimension is also important: the love for masks he carries from childhood, through family and relatives, and the return to the parade and joining the Lumber Club, he emphasizes, was additionally encouraged by Elizabeth. The carnival is, in that sense, both a personal decision and an inherited custom: one does what has “always” been done, but every generation adds its own color to it.
Mask as a message: “Gardeners”, “Maradona” and audience laughter as a measure
The first carnival mask he remembers bore the name “Gardeners” (“Đardinjeri”). The idea was simple and recognizable: gardeners in the parade, with elements that immediately draw the audience into the joke. Leo particularly remembers a detail that was, in a carnival sense, a bullseye – with a watering can, he poured drinks for group members and the audience. Such “little things” often become what people retell: the carnival functions through small interactions, through moments in which the audience ceases to be just an observer.
However, among all costumes, one mask remained particularly dear to him – “Diego Maradona”. The group depicted Napoli and Neapolitans, and Leo embodied Maradona as their symbol and “greatest god”, with a dose of deliberate irony: for football, he says with a laugh, he has “two left feet”, so the audience additionally enjoyed while he performed “tricks”. In that anecdote, the essence of the carnival is recognized: perfection is not important, but the message and energy. The carnival, when it is successful, makes the audience laugh precisely because it plays with expectations.
For Leo, the laughter of the audience is the dearest element of the entire experience. He loves when the message is conveyed through a joke, because then he knows that what the group is doing has “landed” with people. That is also a criterion that does not depend on awards, protocol, or formal recognitions – the audience's reaction is immediate and sincere. And the audience at the Rijeka Carnival is, according to the announcements of organizers and the city, often numerous: in the international parade, thousands of participants and visitors are expected, which makes for an additional challenge, but also an additional motive for carnivalists who want to leave an impression.
If you are coming from another part of Croatia or from abroad, the carnival crowd also means that it is good to check in advance
accommodation offers in Rijeka close to Korzo, especially for the weekend when the International Carnival Parade is announced.
Rijeka 2026: dates, rhythm of events and the role of carnival in the city's identity
The Rijeka Carnival is not just one day of the parade. According to official information from the City of Rijeka, the carnival encompasses a whole series of manifestations: from the election of the queen, children's events, and the carnival ball, to exhibitions, concerts, and various “carnival sports”. The peak consists of masked parades that pass through the city center, traditionally in the period before Ash Wednesday, and an important role is played by recognizable participants like the Halubje Bell Ringers, who are mentioned in the Rijeka story as participants from the very beginnings of the restored carnival.
Official program announcements for 2026 additionally clarify the structure of the season: election of the queen at the end of January, children's parade at the end of January, and the international parade in mid-February. The media, citing HINA, also conveyed the detail about the takeover of the “key to the city” on January 17, which symbolically marks the beginning of the period in which masks take over the city. In practice, that is the moment when the mood in Rijeka changes: the city enters the regime of the street, satire, music, and collective joy.
Such a framework is important for understanding why for carnivalists like Leo, not everything comes down to the costume. He connects to continuity: “as our elders did, so we continue”, with a reminder of an old saying which, in a local key, emphasizes the value of customs. In a time when communities often scatter between work, technology, and an accelerated rhythm, the carnival becomes a rare space in which “being a part” is more important than “being alone”.
Opatija in the fifth season: Balinjerada and local carnival points that connect to Rijeka
The carnival season in Kvarner does not end with city borders. Opatija, as a neighboring destination with its own tradition, every year at carnival time gets additional dynamics. According to the official announcement of the City of Opatija about the 2026 carnival, Opatija also enters the period of the “fifth season” with programs that target different generations. According to the calendar of events of the Tourist Board of the City of Opatija, Balinjerada is announced for February 8, 2026, on Opatija's main street, with a morning slot, and on the same day, events intended for children are foreseen, including the children's carnival corso.
For Leo, Balinjerada is one of the traditions he particularly singles out. And that is not accidental: Balinjerada is perceived in Opatija as a specific carnival “sport” – a blend of ingenuity, speed, masks, and the audience that often fills the route. In the context of the entire Kvarner, such events create a carnival network: visitors can plan multiple days and multiple locations, and groups like the Lumber Club function as a living link between places.
Whoever wants to experience both Opatija and Rijeka in the same carnival week, it is practical to consider
accommodation between Opatija and Rijeka, especially because programs continue from weekend to weekend.
Lumber Club Opatija: association as a community and “mom” of the crew
In carnival groups, there is a hierarchy, but it is not necessarily formal. Often the most important person is the one who keeps people together, knows the schedule, takes care of details, and, when needed, calms tensions. Leo singles out as a role model among carnivalists the president of Lumber Club Opatija, Oli Tomičić, whom he describes as a person who has been “mom” to the crew for years and leads the whole group. In that picture, it is not just about organization, but about the emotional glue without which volunteer associations are hard to maintain.
That the Lumber Club in this period also has additional symbolism is confirmed by reports from local media: according to Novi list, the club in the current season marks its 60th birthday, and the Opatija Pust got the name “Za Pust parićan” (Ready for Pust). Such details are important because they show how the carnival is not just a “program”, but also a local chronicle – every year carries its own story, its own internal jokes, and messages that the audience recognizes.
What the carnival means today: preservation of customs, new generations and an invitation valid even for those who have never been
When Leo speaks about the future of the carnival, he does not go into big theories. His message is simple: customs need to be kept and passed on to the young. If at least a part of that manages to be transferred, he considers the job done. In that modesty, there is realism: the carnival, as a tradition, survives only if new people enter it, if children get used to it being normal to mask up, go out on the street, participate, be part of a group, or at least understand the message carried in the parade.
At the same time, Leo does not close the carnival within the borders of “our area”. On the contrary, he tells young people and everyone who has never visited Rijeka during the time of masks that it is an opportunity for disconnecting from everyday worries and sharing joy with others. The carnival, in his interpretation, is not reserved for “insiders”; it is an event open to anyone who wants to experience the city differently. The motto often associated with the carnival period – “Be what you want” – in that story is an invitation to imagination, but also to a brief liberation from roles we otherwise carry.
In the 2026 season, with clearly highlighted dates of Rijeka parades and Opatija events, that invitation also gets a practical dimension: planning arrival, movement, and stay. However, behind the logistics remains what carnivalists like Leo put in the foreground: that the audience laughs, that the message is conveyed through a joke, and that tradition is not kept in a showcase, but on the street – among people.
Sources:- Visit Rijeka (official destination pages) – program and key dates of the Rijeka Carnival 2026 (link)
- City of Rijeka (official pages) – overview of components and traditions of the Rijeka Carnival (link)
- Glas Istre / HINA – announcement of the Rijeka Carnival 2026, including the date of taking the “key to the city” and the date of the international parade (link)
- Visit Opatija (TB of the city of Opatija) – calendar of events with the announcement of Balinjerada on February 8, 2026 (link)
- City of Opatija (official pages) – announcement about the carnival in Opatija 2026 and the season program (link)
- Novi list – report on the start of the carnival in Opatija, Pust and marking of 60 years of Lumber Club Opatija (link)
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