Organisers expect a great number of participants in more than 100 carnival groups, as well as large audiences, both on the city's main street Korzo and in front of TVs.

The carnival starts on 17 January with the raising of the Pust, the carnival effigy which is often named after a politician and is blamed for all the bad things that happened in the preceding year, and with a display of fireworks. The next day the mayor of Rijeka will hand over the keys to the city to the Carnival master at the event called the Rijeka Carnival Queen Pageant and Handover of the Town Key.

Dozens of various culture, sporting and entertaining events as well as fund-raisers and other functions will ensue until Ash Wednesday, which falls on 13 February this year.

One of the most significant carnival marches is the masked children's parade, which will be held on 2 February during this, 30th edition of the carnival season after this tradition of carnival celebrations was renewed in 1982.

In the meantime, Rijeka has become a top destination for carnival revellers.

The organisers expect 4,000 participants in the children's parade on 2 February as some 8,000 masked revellers in the main International Carnival Parade on 10 February.

The origins of this tradition date back to the Middle Ages, with periods when masked parades were banned for various reasons.