The carnival period in Lovran and its surroundings is known as the ‘fifth season’. This name shows the importance of the carnival tradition to the people of Lovran.

Carnival begins on 17 January, the feast of St Anthony, with the raising of the carnival flag and the hanging of the Mesopust carnival puppet in the central town square. Carnival ends on Ash Wednesday, when the Mesopust is ritually burned: this cathartic tradition symbolises cleansing from all the sins and misfortunes of the preceding year.

The central event is the International Carnival Parade, which brings together dozens of groups and thousands of participants to satirise everyday social and political life with their witty costumes and allegorical floats.