Kurentovanje 2025 "Kurent's House" next to Town Theater(the light greenish building on the far right) Information Date: 22 February – 4 March 2025 Location: Ptuj, Slovenia Organized by: Ptuj Public Institute Edition: 65th Main character: Kurent (Korant) 19th carnival prince: Honorary patronage Nataša Pirc Musar(President of Slovenia) Opening Ethnographic Parade 22 February: 17,000 visitors International Carnival Parade 2 March: 50,000 visitors Record: (2011) 65,000 visitors Awarded carnival groups 1st award: »Grbci« 2nd award: »Go-Car-Go! Bo kar bo!« 3rd award: »Kitajska pomlad Hanov«
Kurentovanje 2025 was the 65th edition of Ptuj carnival organized by Ptuj Public Institute with the Urban Municipality of Ptuj cooperation, held between 22 February and 4 March in Ptuj, Slovenia.
Around 6,800 participants from nine countries are expected at all public events, with 14 foreign groups to be hosted. They also increased the cash fund for carnival groups to €6,300 (4,200 last year).
The President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar was this year's honorary patronage of Kurentovanje.
19th prince of the carnival (the second year in a row), is Francesco Guffante, city judge.
Schedule
Introduction SinceEventsAlways on the same dayVisit200124th Kurent (Korant) JumpMidnight ritual by the fire at Zoki's homestead in Budina (Candlemas – 2 to 3 February) 500Kurents
Main traditional events SinceEventsAlways on the same dayVisit↓ Ethnic and carnival parades ↓199828th Opening Ethnographic Paradepre-Shrove Saturday (22.2.) 17,000 20179th Day of Kurent (Korant) Groups Shrove Wednesday (26.2.) cancelled 12th Carnival PromenadeShrove Saturday (1.3.) thousands 2013201510th Night Spectaclethousands 196065th International Carnival ParadeShrove Sunday (2.3.) 50,000 13th Children's ParadeShrove Monday (3.3.) thousands 65th Shrove Tuesday BurialShrove Tuesday (4.3.) thousands
Accompanying events SinceEventAlways on the same dayVisit200620th Obarjada pre-Shrove Saturday (22.2.) ca. 8,000 20251st Kurent Fair pre-Shrove Saturday (1.3.) pre-Shrove Sunday (2.3.) thousands
SinceArt eventsAlways on the same day200917th Ex-TemporeArt colonypre-Shrove Saturday (22.2.) Exhibition OpeningShrove Saturday (1.3.)
Evening display of indigenous characters
DateIndigenous character(s)Day↓ In old town every night at 6:00 pm ↓(on Shrove Saturday exceptionally at 12:30 PM)23.2.The Whip Crackers, Rusas, Kurents (Korants)pre-Shrove Sunday 24.2.Ploughmen, Old Woman Carrying Her Man, Kurents (Korants)pre-Shrove Monday 25.2.Gypsies, Kurents (Korants)pre-Shrove Tuesday 27.2.Spearman, Cockerels, Fairies, Serfs, Bears, KurentsShrove Thursday 28.2.Jürek and Rabolj, Log-Haulers, Kurents (Korants)Shrove Friday 1.3.Kurents (Korants)Shrove Saturday 3.3.Kurents (Korants)Shrove Monday
Main events
24th Kurent's jump (2.2.–3.2) Zvonko Križaj (Prince Matevž Zoki II) wanted to revive an old tradition, when his father and neighbors first put on bells at Candlemas at midnight.
It is a ceremonial dance of kurents by the fire, always exactly at midnight on the transition from February 2 to 3, introduced by the 2nd Carnival Prince Matevž Zoki II in 2001, or rather revived an old custom from his home area. Therefore, ever since then, this event has traditionally been held annually on his homestead in Budina, just below Lake Ptuj. It also gathers several hundred kurents and is an introduction (albeit unofficial) to the entire carnival event, as it is a completely independent and separate folk event, not connected to the official carnival. What is characteristic of this event is that the kurents do not wear fur coats and masks, only bells, hedgehogs and leggings. This year, over 500 kurents gathered.
28th Opening Ethnographic Parade (22.2.) The intercontinental meeting of ethnographic carnival characters has been held since 1998, always on the pre-carnival Saturday morning at 11 a.m., as the opening procession of the 11-day carnival event. It features only traditional ethnographic carnival characters from several European countries. In addition to our local characters such as kurents (korants), baba nosi deda, Whip-Crackers, Ploughmen, Cockerels, Bears, ploughmen, Fairies and carnival dancers, there are also traditional carnival schemes from abroad such as Austria, Italy, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia...
On February 22, at the opening procession, there were total 2,463 performers from total 81 groups from a wide variety of societies from four different countries: Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovenia. Of these, a record 1,076 kurents (never before in an ethnographic procession) and 967 ethnographic masks from Ptuj and Drava fields, 303 masks from other parts of Slovenia and 157 masks from abroad. The ethnographic procession was also visited by a record 17,000 people from near and far, a good number of people from abroad as well. For the second year in a row, the 19th Carnival Prince Francesco Guffante, Ptuj city judge, "took over" power for 11 days.
1. Ptuj Brass Orchestra 2. The 19th Prince of the Carnival (Francesco Guffante, city judge) 3. The Prince's Merchants 4. Kurents and Korants 5. Whip-Crackers (Župečja vas, Tržec, Pobrežje) 6. Spearmen (Markovci) 7. Fairies (Markovci) 8. Cockerels (KUD Baron Muretinci) 9. Jürek and Rabolj (Dolena) 10. Bears (Markovci) 11. Cirkovce Log-Haulers (Cirkovce) 12. Pobrežje Dancers (Pobrežje) 13. The Old Woman Carrying The Old Man (Soviče-Dravci) 14. Ploughmen (Leskovec, Podlehnik, Podvinci, Mali Okič, Markovci, Rogoznica, Kicar) 15. Miners (Sodinci) 16. Serfs (Spuhlja) 17. Herbalists (Draženci)
18. Škoromats (Hrušica, Ilirska Bistrica) 19. Šjme Vrbovo (Vrbovo) 20. Liški pustje (Kanal ob Soči) 21. Sevski potecini (Selšček) 22. Obrški prutarji (Veliki Obrež) 23. Butalci (Cerknica) 24. Koši Šoštanjski (Šoštanj) 25. Pust Mozirski (Mozirje) 26. Krampusi Ankestein (Cirkulane) 27. Kungoški parklji (Kungota) 28. Coprnice izpod Resenika (Žetale) 29. Baranjske buše (Draž) 30. Brežanski zvončari (Matulji) 31. Srakarski zvončari (Sračinec) 32. Lafre, pikači, čaplje in cimeri (Čakovec) 33. Urthos E Buttudos (Sardinia) 34. Survakari-Kukeri (Sofia) 35. Gypsies (TED Lükari in ED Cigani Dornava)
OPENING ETHNOGRAPHIC PARADE STATISTICS; 2.463 participants (from 81 groups in total) 1.076 kurents (from 38 groups of kurents and korants) 927 participants (from 26 local ethnographic groups from Ptuj area) 303 participants (from 11 other ethnographic groups from other parts of Slovenia) 157 participants (from 6 foreign ethnographic groups from Croatia, Italy and Bulgaria)
20th Obarjada (22.2.) Since 2006, on pre-Shrove Saturday, together with opening ethnographic parade, in Novi trg square (formerly in the courtyard of Ptuj Cellar, Minorite Monastery and Mestna tržnica), a charity chicken stew "Obarjada" is held, where Obara is cooked, organised by the Lions Club. The proceeds from the sale of sold stoves go exclusively to charity, originally intended mainly for the blind and visually impaired. The record is 8,000 people.
The 20th Obarjada took place under the title "More than soup". A record 24 teams cooked and collected a record 39,420 euros, of which 20,300 euros were contributed by the visitors (about the same as last year) and the rest by various donors. They cooked approximately 6,000 servings of stew.
9th Day of Kurent and Korant groups (26.2.) The Day of Kurent's (Korant's) groups is a relative novelty. It has been held since 2017, originally held on pre-Shrove Tuesday and moved to Shrove Wednesday, is organized by the Association of Kurent Societies. It is exclusively an evening performance of the kurents and korants, when hundreds of them gather in the old town. This year the event was canceled a day earlier due to rain forecast and was not rescheduled.
12th Saturday Carnival Promenade (1.3.) The Saturday carnival promenade has been held annually since 2013 on Shrove Saturday, as it was revived after a long time on the 140th anniversary of the first recorded Ptuj city corso from 1873. It features Romans, medieval merchants and townspeople in carnival costumes.
10th Night Spectacle (1.3.) It has been held since 2015, this year on Carnival Saturday, where only demonic masks such as Krampus, devils, hooves, zombies...
65th International Carnival Parade (2.3.) It is the highlight each year, which takes place on Shrove Sunday afternoon. It features several thousand ethnographic and other carnival masks, both domestic and numerous schemes from other European countries, the best masks are also awarded. It attracts an average of 50,000 visitors from all over Slovenia, as well as from abroad. It is one of the largest and most important processions in Europe and the world. In 2011, record 65,000 people gathered at the main international Sunday event, an absolute record that has not been surpassed to this day.
On March 2, on Carnival Sunday, the procession began at 1 p.m. at the Fire Station and ended at 4 p.m. at the MIhelič Gallery, and was attended by 50,000 people, including many foreign visitors. A total of 2,248 participants from 81 groups participated in the procession. This year's honorary patron, the President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar and the Speaker of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič, visited the event.
ETHNOGRAPHIC; 1. Ptuj Brass Orchestra 2. The 19th Prince of the Carnival (Francesco Guffante, city judge) 3. The Prince's Merchants 4. Kurents and Korants 5. Whip-Crackers (Pobrežje) 6. Spearmen (Markovci) 7. Fairies (Markovci) 8. Jürek and Rabolj (Dolena) 9. Whip-Crackers (Tržec) 10. Pobrežje Dancers (Cirkovce) 11. Cockerels (Nova vas pri Markovcih) 12. Whip-Crackers (Župečja vas) 13. Serfs (Spuhlja) 14. Ploughmen (Podvinci, Lancova vas, Podlehnik Leskovec, Dornava, Kicar) 15. Ruse (Ruse Center) 16. Gypsies (TED Lükari and ED Cigani Dornava) 17. Cheeses (Pernik) 18. Wild Boars (Arlon) 19. Witches (Banja Luka) 20. Sitnan (Banská Štiavnica) 21. Krampusi (Eggersdorf) 22. Mülhüser Waggis (Mulhouse)
CARNIVAL; 23. Bavarians-Oktoberfest (Markovci Brass Orchestra) 24. Merry Clowns 25. Hüjdi vragi 26. Lect's Hearts (Meglič, Mladika, Breg, Ljudski Vrt, Pivka) 27. Land of Mushrooms (Carnival group Bukovci-Vopošnica) 28. The Flinstones (Sport Society Moškanjci) 29. Kitajska pomlad Hanov (Kocil Society) 30. Frogs (KUD Maska Stojnci) 31. Old China (Fašenk group Separji) 32. Texas Show (Youth Bukovci) 33. Dwarfs and Snow White from Haloze Cavesǃ (KTD Klopotec) 34. Go – Car – Go! Bo kar bo! (Ptuj Engineering Highschool) 35. Lintvorts (TED Sodinci) 36. Grbci (KUD Vetrnice) 37. Who Is There Singing (Fašenk group Moškanjci) 38. Astrodravci (Youth Dravsko polje) 39. Medo nosi (Dornava)
INTERNATIONAL CARNIVAL PARADE STATISTICS; 3.248 participants (from 81 groups in total) 1.116 participants (from 41 groups of kurents and korants) 956 participants (from 21 local and foreign ethnographic groups) 1065 participants (from 17 carnival groups and societies from around the Ptuj) 761 participants (from 13 carnival groups in competition) 111 participants (from 5 foreign ethnographic groups from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Belgium and Slovakia)
13th Children's Parade (3.3.) On 3 March, on Shrove Monday, at 10 a.m., there was the 13th edition of Children's parade at the old town, a parade of kindergartens from all over Slovenia, the biggest procession of this kind in Slovenia. It took place through the streets of old city center, in which 1,200 costumed children from different age groups performed. In the afternoon, the children's masquerade moved to the Campus carnival hall.
65th Shrove Tuesday Burial (4.3.)