17 January – 17 February 2010 | Rijeka Carnival is an annual event that has a 100-year-old tradition. One of Croatia's largest festivals, it attracts carnival groups, spectators and the media, as well as guests from around the country and abroad.

The International Carnival of Rijeka is a mixture of the bourgeois carnival and the ancient Slavs' folklore elements and mythology. Carnival customs include the making of "ugly masks", while the Zvoncari, or local bell ringers, are identical to those who centuries ago protected their land from Turkish invasion.

Concerts, exhibitions, parties, performances and other festivities fill the days that precede the major event - the International Carnival Parade. Hundreds of floats, thousands of masks and streets crowded with spectators are the result of a competitive spirit built on originality, inventiveness and wittiness.

Website: www.ri-karneval.com.hr