Lighting Candles at Drenova on the Eve of All Saints'
By late afternoon on 31 October, the lanes leading up to Rijeka's cemeteries fill with people carrying chrysanthemums wrapped in paper and thick bundles of candles. At Drenova, on the hill above the city, the stalls along the approach sell flowers, wreaths and votive candles, and the smell of wax and damp pine drifts between them. As dusk falls, families gather at the gravesides, and the whole slope begins to flicker — thousands of small flames, one for each name on the stones. This is the heart of the feast in Rijeka, and it is something you can simply walk into and join.
All Saints' Day, 1 November, is a public holiday across Croatia, and in 2026 it falls on a Sunday — which means the eve, the day itself and the following All Souls' Day on 2 November form one long, unhurried observance. Graves are blessed in cemeteries throughout the city, and residents return year after year to light candles at the family plot. You do not need an invitation; you need only to arrive before dark and walk slowly.
Morning Mass at St. Vitus and the Procession Through the Centre
The religious centre of the day is the Cathedral of St. Vitus, the round, unusual church that anchors Rijeka's old town. A main morning mass is held here on All Saints' Day, followed by a traditional procession through the city centre. Churches across Rijeka hold their own morning and evening masses, many with choirs and organists — the music is often the reason people come, and it is worth arriving early to get a seat.
- Cathedral of St. Vitus: main morning mass and the starting point of the central procession.
- City churches: morning and evening masses throughout Rijeka, frequently with choral and organ accompaniment.
- Parish offices: open for information if you want to confirm local times once you are in the city.
For exact schedules, the reliable route is the local parishes themselves, the diocesan websites, or the Croatian Bishops' Conference website. Times shift from year to year, so check once you arrive rather than relying on any printed programme.
Walking Up to Trsat, Rijeka's Pilgrimage Hill
Trsat, the hill above the city, holds the shrine of Our Lady of Trsat — the focus of local pilgrimage on this feast. Special masses and processions are held here, and the walk up, whether on foot or by the stairway from the centre, is part of the experience. You climb through the town and arrive at a place that has drawn pilgrims for centuries, on the one day of the year when it is most alive.
Pair the visit with the view back down over the port and the bay. Come in the morning for the masses, or in the late afternoon when the light softens and the crowds thin but the candles are still burning.
All Souls' Day and the Rhythm of the Two Days
All Souls' Day follows on 2 November, and the observance carries straight on from the first. If you are in Rijeka for both, you can spend 1 November in the churches and the procession, and 2 November back among the graves as the blessings continue and the candles are relit. The two days together are the real shape of the visit — not a single event but a sustained, quiet ritual that the whole city takes part in.
- 1 November: morning mass at St. Vitus, procession through the centre, masses in churches across the city, graves blessed in cemeteries.
- 2 November: All Souls' Day — continued blessing of graves and candle-lighting.
Practicalities for the Visit
Because 1 November is a public holiday, expect the city to run on a slower rhythm: the day is given over to church, family and the cemeteries rather than to shops and offices. Plan your movements around the mass times and the evening candle-lighting, and allow time for the walk up to Trsat and back.
To confirm what is happening in 2026, use the parish offices in Rijeka, the diocesan websites and the Croatian Bishops' Conference website — these are the sources that publish mass schedules and any procession details. Everything else about the day you can discover on foot.
Start by booking your stay in Rijeka for the end of October, then build your days around the eve at the cemeteries, the morning at St. Vitus, and the climb to Trsat. The city will do the rest.