Rijeka enters the liveliest week of the carnival: from the election of the prince and princess to the big children’s parade
Rijeka on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, enters a week in which the carnival story from neighbourhoods and halls moves into the very centre of the city, to Korzo and the main city streets. The organisers of the Rijeka Carnival announce a series of events that combine family programmes, the tradition of masking and evening entertainment, all unfolding in the rhythm of the “fifth season” by which the city has been recognisable for decades. The focus is on children and youth – from the election of the prince and princess to the Children’s Carnival Parade – but also on programmes that bring visitors of all generations into the carnival atmosphere, with a clear message that Rijeka these days is above all a stage of creativity and togetherness.
The carnival season in Rijeka is not just a series of fun dates on the calendar. According to the City of Rijeka and the Rijeka City Tourist Board, the event is one of the city’s strongest winter tourist motives outside the main season, influencing arrivals, overnight stays and Rijeka’s overall visibility in Croatia and abroad. For many Rijeka residents, carnival is also part of identity: a time when social critique and satire blend with the mask, and months of preparation – costumes, choreographies and allegorical floats – get their big public stage. If you’re planning a weekend arrival or a multi-day stay, it’s good to check in advance
accommodation in Rijeka, especially in the centre zone and the wider city area, because interest during the parade period is traditionally increased.
Election of the prince and princess: children’s imagination on the big stage
The week in the sign of the youngest opens with the Election of the Prince and Princess of the Rijeka Carnival. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, 28 January 2026, starting at 6 p.m., at Tower Center Rijeka. The organisers say it is a programme that symbolically marks the beginning of the children’s carnival part of the season: children, through masks and short performances, show ideas and skills, and the chosen prince and princess get the honour of leading Saturday’s Children’s Carnival Parade. The concept is simple, but the effect strong: in Rijeka, carnival is not “watched” but participated in, and the first big step for many little masqueraders is precisely stepping out in front of an audience.
At Tower Center, a family atmosphere and a competitive yet friendly spirit are expected. The programme is designed so that children through performances – dance, song, acting or other imaginative solutions – show how they experienced the carnival theme. Such events are important also because of the message of continuity: carnival tradition in Rijeka is not passed on only through stories, but practically – from generation to generation, through play, performance and the shared making of masks.
Pusni dances in Pašac: a carnival evening in the neighbourhood rhythm
After the children’s introduction, on Friday, 30 January 2026, the carnival shifts to an evening programme: masked dances are announced at Dom Pašac starting at 9 p.m. During the season, Pašac is one of the points where you can see how carnival lives outside the very centre. For many, the neighbourhood scene is precisely the most authentic part of carnival: less formal, closer to people, often with humour and satirical costumes that comment on local and broader social themes.
The organisers emphasise that this is part of the Rijeka Carnival kantun programme – a platform that throughout the carnival period connects events across different parts of the city. Such programmes create what in Rijeka is often described as “carnival everyday life”: even when there is no big parade, the city has the rhythm of masks, gatherings and improvised stages.
Saturday Children’s Carnival Parade: numbers, route and city stages
The central event of this week is the Children’s Carnival Parade, held on Saturday, 31 January 2026, starting at 12 p.m. According to published information, a total of 71 groups take part in the parade, with 6,538 children among them. That is not only an impressive number; it is a logistically demanding programme that turns the centre of Rijeka into a moving stage of children’s imagination, with thousands of costumes, props and choreographies prepared for weeks, often with the support of parents, teachers and group leaders.
It is also important that the parade is not conceived as “point A to point B”. Along the route, four stages are set up where the programme is followed and commented on, ensuring dynamics and better visibility for an audience spread across the city. The stages are at Trg Republike Hrvatske, Korzo, in Scarpina Street and at Jelačić Square. For visitors who want to catch the best view and stay in the centre for several hours, the recommendation is to plan their arrival in advance and, if coming from outside Rijeka, consider
accommodation near Korzo or in the wider centre area, to avoid unnecessary drives and searching for parking at the time of the biggest crowds.
Parade route: from the waterfront to Export Delta
The organisers have published a detailed route for the children’s masqueraders, linking the city’s most recognisable points and naturally leading the parade to the finale in the Export Delta area. The route is as follows:
- Riva Street
- Square of the 111th Brigade of the Croatian Army
- Adamićeva Street
- Trg Republike Hrvatske
- Korzo
- Scarpina Street
- Jelačić Square
- Ribarska Street
- Hinka Bačića Street
- Grobnička waterfront (to Export Delta)
This movement is not accidental: the parade “takes” the city in its most famous vista, but at the same time relieves Korzo so that the crowd gradually flows toward the finale. For many visitors, especially families with smaller children, a good tactic is to choose one of the stages as the main viewing point, and then after the groups pass, slowly move toward the final part of the route. If you plan to stay all day, it’s practical to check in advance
accommodation offers in Rijeka and choose a location that allows walking access to the centre.
Why the children’s parade is the heart of carnival identity
For years, the children’s parade has had the status of the event that best shows why carnival in Rijeka is more than a parade. It shows carnival as a school of creativity and togetherness: costumes are often the result of teamwork, and themes range from classic characters from fairy tales and films to original, locally inspired ideas. Precisely that diversity – and the fact that children carry the story – gives the programme a special energy, different from the international parade in February, where big allegorical floats and more complex productions dominate.
In its announcements, the City of Rijeka also highlights the symbolism of the “fifth season”: a time when the city opens up, surrenders to satire, the mask and freedom of expression. With children, that element is especially visible because the mask is experienced as play, but also as an opportunity to become someone else for a moment – a princess, an astronaut, a bell ringer, a superhero or a completely new character from one’s own imagination.
After the parade: Exportdrvo and a night under masks
Saturday’s carnival day does not end with the last group on the route. In the evening, the programme continues at Exportdrvo: the Milde sorte party under masks is announced for 31 January 2026 starting at 8 p.m., with DJ Zdrava. In recent years, Exportdrvo has become one of the key carnival halls for larger concerts and party programmes, and this kind of combination – a daytime children’s parade and evening entertainment – shows how Rijeka during carnival switches from a family rhythm to a night rhythm without interruption.
For visitors coming from other cities and planning to stay late, it’s useful to think about logistics in advance, including the return trip or an overnight stay. In practice, this means that for carnival weekends people often look for
accommodation for visitors of the Rijeka Carnival in the wider centre, in an area that allows a quick return on foot or a short ride after evening events.
Sunday 1 February: carnival between sea and snow
Sunday, 1 February 2026, brings two programme-wise completely different, but idea-wise related events. The first is the Carnival Snowboard Session at Platak, starting at 12 p.m. Organisers at Platak note that this is the 15th edition of the competition that for years has combined sport and carnival atmosphere, with the slopestyle discipline and an international character. The competition is held at the bottom of the Radeševo slope, and the programme is designed to be attractive to the public: jumps, tricks and the rhythm of competition draw in even those who are not in the snowboard world every day, but want to experience carnival in a different, winter setting.
The second Sunday event returns the focus to children and the neighbourhood story: the Children’s reduta Pašac is announced for 1 February at 3 p.m. at Dom Pašac. A reduta is a format that usually includes workshops, games, dance and fun activities for the youngest, which is a logical continuation of Saturday’s parade. After the big appearance on the streets, the reduta gives children a chance to mask up again, socialise and “play out” carnival without the pressure of performing in front of tens of thousands of people.
The wider picture: everything leads to the international parade on 15 February
Although the week ahead is dense and “full of carnival”, the announcements clearly show that this is a path toward the big finale: the International Carnival Parade is held on Sunday, 15 February 2026, starting at 12 p.m. on Korzo. According to the City of Rijeka, this is the peak of the season that traditionally gathers thousands of participants from Croatia and abroad, with a strong emphasis on preserving tradition, local customs and the identity of carnival groups. The same announcements also highlight the tourist effect of carnival: the event generates arrivals and further positions Rijeka as a winter destination with a strong reason to visit, outside the usual summer frameworks.
For the city, it is especially important that carnival is not a one-day spectacle, but a season with clear dramaturgy: from Antonja and the handing over of the city key, through the election of the queen as well as the election of the prince and princess, to the children’s and international parade. This week, in that dramaturgy, takes a special place because it “shifts gear” and brings days when carnival is visible at every step. Therefore, if you’re planning a visit, it’s practical to already check
accommodation in Rijeka and align it with the dates that suit you most – the Saturday parade, Sunday at Platak or the later peak of the international parade.
Practical for visitors: getting around the city, weather and planning the day
Carnival parades and larger programmes in the city centre almost always mean heavier traffic and a greater need for planning. Organisers and city services usually introduce temporary movement regulations ahead of major events, and the audience in the centre moves in large waves – especially on Saturday, when several thousand participants and an even larger number of spectators concentrate along the parade route. The most reasonable approach for visitors is to plan the day as a walking day: arrive earlier, take a position by one of the stages, and then after the groups pass, gradually move toward the finale.
Here are a few practical guidelines that in carnival Rijeka year after year prove the most useful:
- If you’re coming with children, choose one of the stages as the main viewing point and leave yourself the option to retreat into a quieter street when the crowd grows.
- For those who want to watch a larger part of the parade, a good tactic is to combine Korzo and the final part of the route toward Grobnička waterfront, where the crowd naturally thins out.
- If you’re also planning an evening programme at Exportdrvo, consider an overnight stay and check in advance accommodation near the venue, so the return is simple.
- For Platak, count on winter conditions and the possibility of changes in the operating regime depending on the weather; the carnival part is fun, but safety on snow and conditions on the slope are always the first criterion.
These days, Rijeka offers a rare combination: within a few kilometres you can experience both sea and snow, a children’s parade and an evening party, a neighbourhood dance and the central city stage. That is precisely the specificity of the Rijeka Carnival – it is not just an event, but a state of the city that lasts for weeks, and this week is its liveliest, most visible form.
Sources:- City of Rijeka – announcement and context of the Rijeka Carnival 2026. Link- Rijeka City Tourist Board (VisitRijeka) – programme and schedule of the Rijeka Carnival 2026. Link- Tower Center Rijeka – information about the election of the prince and princess (28 January 2026). Link- VisitRijeka – announcement of the Children’s Carnival Parade (31 January 2026). Link- Fiuman.hr – details of the Children’s Carnival Parade (number of groups, number of children, route and stages). Link- Platak (GSC-PGŽ) – announcement of the Carnival Snowboard Session (1 February 2026). Link- Entrio – Milde sorte party under masks (31 January 2026, Exportdrvo). Link
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