Giant inflatable elephants, the unofficial mascots of the festival, take over the city centre below Ještěd every two years, when the Mateřinka festival is held in Liberec for several June days. Another integral part of the festival is the opening parade of masks from the Naive Theatre collection. The main programme awaits audiences and festival visitors at many venues of this unique showcase, focused on professional puppet theatres and their productions for pre-school children. Photographs by Josef Ptáček (until 2019) and Roman Dobeš from individual years of Mateřinka can be found below on this page.