Another year in which the Rijeka Carnival will not be organised in its usual edition.

Unfortunately, due to the new wave of Covid19 pandemic and the need to comply with more rigorous epidemiological measures, at present, the Rijeka Carnival cannot be organised in its full form so that now the key Carnival events will not be held. It applies to the International Parade and the Children’s Parade”, said Mayor Marko Filipović.

This year these two manifestations are not entirely cancelled, but are postponed to the summer months, that is, to the period in which a better epidemiological situation is expected. I hope the pandemic would not disrupt our plans then. The same goes for the Humanitarian Ball, which organisation is postponed to the summer period.

Despite the pandemic, part of the carnival events will take place as usual, so on Monday the traditional delivery of the city keys to the Carnival Master is scheduled, which this year will be slightly different than earlier”- announced Marko Filipović, Rijeka Mayor.

The director of the Rijeka Tourist Board, Petar Škarpa, explained what had preceded this decision: We all look forward to the Carnival, in the awareness, however, of the period we are currently experiencing, full of challenges, in which we must be responsible and carefully evaluate all the dangers that could arise during the Rijeka Carnival at this time. The epidemiological situation at national level is far from promising, which is why the Carnival cannot take place in the usual way. The Carnival is a festival of masks, joy, fun and above all mingling, and we must temporarily give up on this, thinking about the health of our fellow citizens and guests, with the hope of returning as soon as possible to what it once was. The same goes for the weeks before the parade when the groups work intensely to prepare costumes and masks, meet and plan the details of their performances. With all the efforts to find an adequate alternative in order to organise the favourite parades by adhering to the epidemiological measures in force, it has become obvious that in any other form the essential meaning that the carnival represents for the carnival groups would be lost: a day in which all problems are forgotten under the masks, in complete freedom to enjoy the common feast in Corso”, said Škarpa.

Rijeka Carnival in summer edition

“We announce with a heavy heart that the International Carnival Parade, scheduled for 27 February 2022 will be postponed, as well as other major events of the carnival period, with the exception of programmes that can be maintained in compliance with all epidemiological measures in force. We hope and believe that the situation will improve by summer and that we will use the months ahead for additional creativity and new ideas. Every year, the Rijeka Carnival proudly hosts carnival groups from different countries and friends of the Rijeka Carnival who come from all over the world, and we hope that in the new term we will all be able to reunite and that this will be an opportunity for those who have always wanted to visit us and have been unable so far, to do so”- said Petar Škarpa.