Present at the central opening ceremony were Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who sponsored the event, and five ministers from his cabinet, as well as several parliamentarians, religious dignitaries and local authorities.
Addressing the event, PM Sanader said, among other things, that "a united Europe will stand no chance if it would fail to honour diversities of countries" which are united in it and if all countries would not have the same rights, he explained.
Some events of the festival and fair were held over the last week, and the peak of the festival will be Sunday's march of over 70 folklore bands from Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Serbian province of Vojvodina through the centre of the town.