The 185th Samobor Carnival

In accordance with the tradition of carnival festivities, Samobor will, once again, become a Free Carnival Republic inhabited by masked people between February 26th and March 8th. This year, the festival is celebrating its 185th consecutive year so bring along your favourite mask and join us at the largest carnival in north-western Croatia.

Prepare your masks as it is the time of the carnival! It is guaranteed to be lively at the largest such event in north-western Croatia: the Samobor Carnival. The streets and squares of this picturesque town will once again swarm with hundreds of thousands of masked visitors, participating in numerous events related to the carnival.

The event will kick off on February 26th, when Samobor will, once again, briefly become a Free Carnival Republic. This is when the main characters, Sraka (Magpie), Prince Fašnik (Prince Carnival), Sudec (Judge) and Fiškal (Lawyer), will take over the town keys and rule it until March 8th. There will be numerous events for all generations, along with the traditional offer of doughnuts and other carnival delicacies.

This year the Samobor Carnival is being held for the 185th consecutive year and, apart from maintaining traditional customs, it represents the most important tourism and entertainment event in contemporary Samobor. However, soon after the carnival festivities end, on March 13th, this quaint town in the vicinity of Zagreb will be the scene of the great "Battle of Samobor". It will be re-enacted at Vugrinšćak, beneath the feudal town of Samobor where, after the death of King Albrecht Habsburg, the armies of his widow, Queen Elizabeth, fought those of the Polish King Vladislav Jagelović, in 1441. On this day in March, Vugrinšćak will be transformed into a military camp with armoured knights, cavalry, swordsmen, archers, catapults and fireballs…

A show program will completely bring to life this event from the ancient past, and there will also be a medieval fair featuring music and dance, as well as a selection of various delicacies prepared according to recipes of the middle ages.