(ANSA) - UDINE, FEB 28 - It's not just fun. The historic Villach Carnival has become one of the most successful programmes of Austrian television and a tourist attraction for the town in southern Carinthia, a few kilometers away from the border with Italy.

The tradition of ''Villacher Fasching'' dates back to 1867 when the document attesting to the first edition of a mask parade was pinned up in the local civic museum. Since 1961, the fair has become a sort of cabaret show, the ''Villacher Faschinggilde'', which was broadcast on radio and, since 1963, became the focus of successful television programmes on the public network Orf. In 2003, the programme, which had been broadcast for 40 years in prime time, even got the highest audience rating of the year.

The most awaited moment for tourists is that of the carnival parade, this year scheduled for March 2, starting at 2 pm, when around 150 groups and over 3,000 people wearing Carnival masks arrive in Villach from all over Carinthia and from Italy, including jesters, flag-wavers, stilt walkers, floats, and bands. During the show, the most beautiful masks will be selected and awarded.

The Villach Carnival is such a deep-rooted tradition that in 2008 the city dedicated a full-size bronze harlequin statue to the carnival partnership, installing it on the Drava bridge.(ANSA).