Kurentovanje
When is it
3–9 Feb 2027
in 82 days
Confirmed · kurentovanje.net, checked 11 Nov 2026
At a glance
- Where
- Ptuj, Slovenia
- Usually
- Late January to February, ending on Shrove Tuesday; the length changes from year to year
- Kind
- Carnival, Folk and Tradition
Before the carnival starts, the bells wake up. At midnight on the night of 2 to 3 February 2027, according to the programme, the Kurents first put on their bells by a fire and begin chasing away winter and evil. From that moment Ptuj belongs to them.
A Kurent is a masked figure in a sheepskin costume with a belt of heavy bells, a tall furry hat and a wooden club. Hundreds of them, horned ones and feathered ones, gather on Mestni trg on the first Wednesday of the festival for the Day of Kurent and Korant Groups, when the city symbolically hands over power. The noise is the point: the bells are meant to drive the winter away.
The days that follow have a rhythm. Thursday and Friday evenings are for meeting the Kurents and other traditional characters on the square, with a fire show with Krampuses, Kurents and Korants on Friday night. Saturday brings a carnival promenade. The highlight is Sunday's International Ethnographic and Carnival Parade, a procession of thousands of traditional characters through the streets and squares. On Shrove Tuesday the street celebrations continue into the evening, and at 1 PM the carnival figure is buried in a symbolic handover of power. The 66th edition, in 2026, ended the same way, with the burial of Pust.
How to go. The festival is tied to Easter: it ends on Shrove Tuesday, so the dates change each year. In 2026 it ran from 7 to 17 February, an eleven-day edition; in 2027 it is shorter, 3 to 9 February. Ptuj is a small town, so the parade weekend is crowded. Find a bed early and take warm clothes, since all of it happens outdoors.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 3–9 Feb | Confirmed | kurentovanje.net |
| 2026 | 7–17 Feb | Confirmed | kurentovanje.net |
Kurentovanje: FAQ
When is Kurentovanje 2027?
3 to 9 February 2027, the 67th edition. The International Ethnographic and Carnival Parade is on Sunday 7 February.
Why do the dates change every year?
The carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday, which depends on the date of Easter, and the organiser sets how many days it runs.
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