The Rijeka Carnival, the 37th in a row, began traditionally with the selection of the Carnival Queen. On the first day of the Carnival, which is being held under the slogan "Be what you want!", the key to the city was formally handed over to the master of the carnival.
The Carnival programme will include numerous parties and various masked events, such as the Masked Paris-Bakar Rally, a snowboarding race in the city centre, a charity masked ball and Laughing Days.
The merry Children's Carnival Parade has been announced for 8 February, while the great finale of the Rijeka Carnival, the International Carnival Parade, in which local and foreign traditional and urban carnival groups are expected to participate, with thousands of masks and numerous allegorical floats, will take place on 23 February.
Also, this year, the carnival programme includes some of the events organised specifically for Rijeka as one of the two European capital cities of culture in 2020.