The 57th edition of the Ptuj carnival, which is renowned as the largest organised Shrovetide carnival festivals in Slovenia as well as Central Europe, will offer over 200 different events. Its organisers have announced that the three main parades will feature 110 groups of masks, including 22 from abroad. In addition to the most famous local Shrovetide figures, the visitors will get a chance to greet original masks from Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Romania, Germany, Macedonia, Belgium, France, Scotland, Serbia and – for the first time – Venezuela.

Kurents and other masks will be partying for 10 days
Indigenous Shrovetide masks will be merrymaking on the streets of Ptuj all week as well as throw evening parties at various music events in the city’s carnival hall. On Friday evening a night-time parade is scheduled to take place, while Saturday will bring the city’s Shrovetide “korzo”, a parade of masqueraded city dwellers that originated in 1873 and is living proof how deeply the Shrovetide festival is ingrained in the city’s tradition.

The oldest Slovenian city expects to greet the largest crowd of visitors next Sunday for the traditional international parade, which is attended by several ten thousand spectators from Slovenia and abroad every year. Monday is devoted to the biggest carnival meetup of kindergartens in this part of Europe, which regularly welcomes more than a thousand little masqueraders from all parts of Slovenia. Shrove Tuesday brings the carnival to a close with the traditional burial of the Shrove.

Shrovetide festivities are also well underway in Dobova, where the local prince called Fašjenk has already hosted the Samobor and Ključ masks from the neighbouring border region in Croatia.