And certainly the central event of the Carnival is the Great International Carnival Procession. A large number of carnival groups coming from all over the world guarantees having fun and entertainment during those days. During the carnival days you will be heartily welcomed by your hosts and the carnival cheerfulness will help you put all problems aside. Year in, year out, this event has been bringing together an increasing number of participants and visitors from the country and around the world. The acknowledgement for previous work is the “Tourist flower” for the best tourist manifestation. This prestigious award is presented by Tourism Organization of Serbia with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Services.
Carnival Of Vrnjci
The Carnival is along with Guca and Exit the biggest tourist event in Serbia and certainly is the highlight of seasonal happenings. This manifestation gathers over 200 000 visitors. During one week of July Vrnjačka Spa is a stage featuring a lot of masked balls, festivals, concerts, plays, sporting events …
And certainly the central event of the Carnival is the Great International Carnival Procession. A large number of carnival groups coming from all over the world guarantees having fun and entertainment during those days. During the carnival days you will be heartily welcomed by your hosts and the carnival cheerfulness will help you put all problems aside. Year in, year out, this event has been bringing together an increasing number of participants and visitors from the country and around the world. The acknowledgement for previous work is the “Tourist flower” for the best tourist manifestation. This prestigious award is presented by Tourism Organization of Serbia with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Services.
TRADITION – Since the establishment of the contemporary spa at Vrnjci, associated with the year of 1868, citizens of the Spa have attached great importance to balls, masquerades, Kermises … This spirit of the time has been maintained up to the present days. Founding date (14th July) of the first tourist organization on the Balkans (Founding Endowment Association of Hot Mineral Water in Vrnjci) was taken as a reason to set up a manifestation today called “Vrnjački Carnival”. The carnival events are scheduled throughout the week related to that date.
“Stories from the past of the spa” by Branko Radosavljevic – … The most amazing Kermises were staged on the large terrace of the modern spa baths facility. The whole Spa, all its citizens, as well as the residents of surrounding villages, who partook in the Kermis festivity, were interested in the organization of the Kermis. Guests from other places were invited for Kermis, and on Kermis day the spa was refined, immaculately clean and all in festive attire. There were flowers everywhere, and twice a day the music in a march parade was passing along the Spa streets. Terraces of the baths were adorned with numerous lampions and decorative lights, and pyrotechnicians were hastily making final preparations for unforgettable fireworks display. Kermis began at about nine o’clock in the evening, and was opened by appropriate words of the president of some charitable organization on whose behalf all the funds were raised, and afterwards the actors, singers and artists performed. The women of the Spa were preparing countless cakes for that night, simply competing who would bake the most beautiful cake. Cakes were passed around for free, that was the gift of Vrnjci Spa inhabitants to guests, and caterers were serving beverages and other goodies. Through play, various attractions, beauty contests and other prizes the most beautiful and most romantic Vrnjačka summer night was taking place…
Apart from Kermis and other entertainment happenings, masked balls were certainly the most visited events of that time. In the 1950s and 1960s the hotels “Sloboda”, “Zvezda” and “ROPS” were the organizers of these events at which the best masks were chosen. In the eighties the cafe “Lipa” took over that role and with a couple of organized masked balls continued the tradition of costume parties in Vrnjačka Spa. In the nineties masquerades were organized in the cafe “Elegant Draskovic” along with numerous performances, schools of acting, music workshops … Year 2002 was the first year of the costume parties being organized at the cafe “Savka” and since then the events of this kind have been traditionally held.
According to the stories of elderly citizens of Vrnjačka Spa, in early 1960s Vrnjačka Banja becomes a carnival town. Over the next few years a few carnival processions are organized, but unfortunately this event soon begins to lose its significance and slowly goes into oblivion, until the moment when the Tourist Sport Center “Vrnjačka Banja spa” takes the initiative and establishes “International Vrnjački Carnival”. The first “International Vrnjački Carnival” was held in the period from 12.07. to 17.7.2005 and combined over 40 different entertainment, cultural and sporting events. The central event of the carnival is the great INTERNATIONAL CARNIVAL PARADE which in 2005 brought together 34 carnival groups both national and from abroad. The carnival parade consisted of over 1500 participants. Not later than during the second Carnival, the children’s carnival procession is formed and Vrnjački Carnival becomes a member of the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC). Vrnjački Carnival holds an important place in the calendar of world carnival events.
