Kotor Carnival

The Kotor winter carnival festivities are a traditional winter event of the Old Town of Kotor and one of two carnivals the city hosts every year, along with the summer carnival in August. The festivities nurture a centuries-old carnival tradition and represent one of the recognizable symbols of Kotor's cultural identity. The organizer is the public institution Cultural Centre Nikola Đurković Kotor, with the co-organization of the local Tourist Organization and under the patronage of the Municipality of Kotor.

This page refers to the 2027 edition. The exact dates for 2027 have not yet been officially announced — the organizer typically announces them in January of that year. Traditionally, the festivities are held during February, and sometimes, due to weather conditions or the church calendar, extend into March. The program and performers for 2027 will be known just before the carnival; this page will be updated when the organizer publishes the official schedule.

What the previous edition was like

The 2026 edition was held from 6 to 22 February, featuring the opening ceremony at Arms Square with the Fešta majorettes and the City Band, children's masked balls in Škaljari and SC Kamelija, mask-making workshops, the marking of the 50th anniversary of the Prčanj Carnival and the 100th anniversary of the satirical newspaper Karampana, the Grand Masked Ball at the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort hotel in Prčanj with performances by Kira Band and Nenad Knežević Knez, and the final carnival parade, trial and burning of the carnival effigy. Due to a storm warning, the final parade was moved that year from 15 to 22 February. These details refer exclusively to the previous edition and do not constitute an announcement of the 2027 program.

Where it is held and how to get there

The centre of events is Arms Square, the main and largest square of Kotor's Old Town and a traditional gathering place for citizens for various celebrations. Part of the program (the Prčanj Carnival, the Grand Masked Ball) also takes place in the settlement of Prčanj, at the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort hotel, a few kilometres from the Old Town along the Bay of Kotor. The Old Town of Kotor is a pedestrian zone with no car traffic, so the square is reached on foot through one of the town gates.

Why visit

The winter carnival is a more intimate, local edition of Kotor's carnival tradition, without the summer tourist crowds. During the festivities, the streets and squares of the Old Town turn into a stage of masks, satire and music, and the program traditionally brings together both children and adults through masked balls, gastronomic evenings and the final parade.