Magical in every season of the year, Venice manages to increase its charm during the Carnival period: ten days a year or so in which this unique city becomes a huge time machine that transports everyone back to the splendour of the 18th century, the era of the Serenissima marked by refined luxury, amorous intrigues, mystery and seduction.
The Carnival of Venice, however, is much older. The first written testimony mentioning this tradition dates back to 1094, while the ‘official’ date of birth of the Venice Carnival is 1296, the year in which the Serenissima Republic declared the last day of Lent a holiday. The origins are even more distant and are lost in ancestral rites of ancient times.
Today, the Venice Carnival is an international mega-event, a happening for thousands of visitors a day that requires major sponsorship to meet the enormous organisational costs. Traditions remain, but they are adapted to the times and joined by new rituals: thus Maria, the ‘Carnival Miss’ toasts by displaying the name of the famous cocktail sponsor, while young people snub the chic masquerade parties to go to electronic music DJ sets.
What has never changed about the Venice Carnival is its nature as an event without distinction of social class. The city becomes an immense open-air stage where anyone for a few hours or a few days can hide their identity and become someone else. Refined luxury and popular joviality meet and clash in the calli, campielli and canals.
Depending on how you want to experience it, the Venice Carnival can be a day of family fun, a night of revelry, a treat to take away, a romantic memory, a game or simply one of the things to do before you die.
Our guide to the Venice Carnival with useful information and tips will help you decide how you want it: frivolous, gallant, flirtatious, romantic, dark or goliardic.
The Venice Carnival takes place between February and March and lasts about 15 days. The exact duration and dates vary from year to year and depend on the date of Easter.
The most important days, those on which the most famous events take place and therefore attract the most people, are usually the first Sunday, Shrove Thursday, the weekend before closing and Shrove Tuesday (closing day).
These are the best days if you want to see Carnival in its fullest expression; if you are not interested in big events, and especially big revelry, we advise you to avoid these dates.
As far as flight and hotel prices are concerned, there is no best time to go to the Venice Carnival: every day of this famous festival is considered high season, so there is no difference in price between weekdays and weekends. Keep in mind, however, that Saturday and Sunday are always the busiest days for tourists, so hotels sell out rooms faster.
What can you do at the Venice Carnival? The Venice Carnival is a wide-ranging event that includes a multitude of activities and events for all ages, all budgets and all tastes: there are many ways to experience it.
Most tourists come just for the purpose of walking around the city and admiring it in an unusual guise, or to attend concerts, parades and other outdoor events (day and night). For photography enthusiasts, it is a fantastic opportunity to try their hand at unique subjects such as people walking around in elegant period costumes. For young people, Carnival is nothing more than going from bar to bar or dancing until morning to the music of famous DJs in unusual and spectacular locations. For VIPs, Carnival in Venice is synonymous with refined and exclusive parties.
The easiest and cheapest way to see the Venice Carnival is to take a day trip. If your main interest is to see the famous Venetian masks, you don’t even have to attend one of the scheduled events: just approach the Carnival highlights, typically St Mark’s Square and the surrounding area, and you will see them strolling through the calli and campielli. They usually allow themselves to be photographed, but ask permission and be polite and discreet.
The classic Venice walking itinerary, starting from the central train station and ending at St Mark’s Square, is perfect for those who want to see the Venice Carnival with little time to spare.
Most tourists follow this itinerary during the day, but the young and party-loving prefer to do it in the evening, and quite a few of them go on celebrating outdoors until morning, experiencing the carnival as a ‘bacari tour’, a sort of pub crawl in typical Venetian bars that then continues in the streets when the venues close. It can be done and is a lot of fun, but you need to have a good tolerance for the cold and take into account that in the late hours of the night you might encounter quite a few drunks on the streets.
With more time on your hands, it is worth studying the carnival programme and strategically placing yourself in the places where the events that interest you most take place well before they begin.
Of course it is possible to combine the Carnival events and the city’s tourist attractions in a single holiday, although perhaps this is not the best time for those coming to Venice for the first time. To enjoy the city at its best, plan your days well, allocating the early morning hours (when there are fewer people) to cultural visits and the afternoon/evening to entertainment.
At the opposite end of the scale of travel costs is the glamorous Carnival, that of the exclusive parties held inside historic palaces: some are in theory open to all, but are prohibitively expensive; others are by invitation only.
The events that are organised in Venice during the Carnival period are really a lot and include both the official concerts and shows you can find listed in the programme and private parties and happenings organised by companies, associations and other local or international entities. In short, everything.
Most events take place in the historic centre of Venice, but there are also events scheduled on Burano or other islands and even on the mainland.
Which Venice Carnival events are worth seeing? Here are the most popular ones.
That Venice Carnival is unique in the world is clear from the very first day: the celebrations begin with a party on the water, the identity element par excellence of this extraordinary city.
The first part of the festivities sees the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio festively lit up, with spectacular plays of light enhancing the beauty of the historic palazzi. A procession of boats decorated according to a single theme, which changes from year to year, parades along the main canal.
The second part of the festival sees Cannaregio as the arrival point of another procession of boats along the Grand Canal that represents the Venetian equivalent of the masked float parade.
The unmissable event of the first weekend of carnival in Venice is the Volo dell’Angelo (Flight of the Angel): one of the oldest traditions of the whole festival, it still represents one of its most exciting moments.
It all began with the extremely dangerous performance of a Turkish acrobat who in the 16th century crossed St Mark’s Square balancing on a rope suspended in the air. Today, crossing the square in flight, admired by an incredulous crowd with their noses turned up, is a woman dressed in a sumptuous costume made by a prestigious Venetian tailor and wearing elaborate make-up: she is the godmother of the Venice Carnival.
There is no more need for balancing acts and acrobatics: ‘the angel’ is hoisted to a pulley that safely allows her to travel suspended in the air. Starting from the Bell Tower, the angel reaches a parterre in the centre of the square, where she is greeted by a procession in period costume and from where she greets the jubilant crowd; during the flight, the angel gives petals, confetti and smiles to the crowd.
For years, the lucky woman who was able to perform this unique experience was a celebrity from the world of show business; since 2011, this privilege has been reserved for the winner of the previous year’s Festa delle Marie pageant.
The Flight of the Columbine is a tradition that replaced the Flight of the Angel from the late 18th century until 2001. After a tragic accident in which a tightrope walker lost his life, it was decided that the Flight of the Angel should no longer be performed by a live person. The acrobats were therefore replaced by a papier-mâché dove made in such a way that it opened up during the flight and released confetti onto the crowd.
Although there has been a return to a version with people with flesh on their bones (no longer acrobats but people with safety harnesses), many people still call this tradition by the name Flight of the Dove.
The Flight of the Angel is so famous and attracts so many people that in recent years a similar event has been created, a kind of encore for those who missed the main event. It is called Volo dell’Aquila (Flight of the Eagle), and again there is a person in costume who, with a special harness, flies from the bell tower to a stage in St Mark’s Square.
The difference is that it takes place on the carnival’s closing weekend, rather than the opening weekend, and the eagle is a character from the world of sport, female or male.
The Festa delle Marie is a historical re-enactment of a custom from the time of the Serenissima that saw the Doge honour twelve Venetian women of humble origins but extraordinary beauty with a wedding dowry of precious jewellery.
The highlight of the Festa delle Marie is the procession in which 12 Venetian women, selected in the previous days, parade through the streets of the city in Renaissance period costumes accompanied by historical figures and arrive in St Mark’s Square where they are acclaimed by the crowd.
However, this is not the only social engagement of these maidens, who almost every day of the festival have to make an official appearance at some event. Being Maria at the Venice Carnival is tiring but rewarding: whoever is elected the most beautiful will be the Angel of the next edition.
Every self-respecting carnival rewards the most beautiful mask, and Venice is no exception. Twice a day, every day, participants parade in costume on a red carpet in St Mark’s Square; it is the public who decides who will go on to the next stages of the competition, up to the final.
The competition rewards the most beautiful, the most traditional and the most original mask; there are also special prizes and a section dedicated to children. It is a highly coveted prize and often the winning mask is the result of a very long work combining creativity and craftsmanship.
If you want to enter, to win or simply to experience the thrill of the “red carpet” we have good news for you: participation in the competition is free of charge, to register simply fill in an online form on the event’s official website.
The lesser known aspect of the Venice Carnival is the lively nightlife. During this period, Venice, which is not usually one of the best destinations for young people looking for a good time, turns into a party town, with bars full of people until closing time and lots of music.
The official carnival programme includes quite a few open-air concerts. The most famous artists obviously perform in Piazza San Marco, but smaller concerts are held in lesser-known corners of the city. For party animals, DJ sets are organised in unusual and atmospheric locations such as the Tese dell’Arsenale (the sheds where ships’ sails were once stretched).
A popular meeting place for Venetian students and visiting young people is Campo Santa Margherita, also popular during Carnival time.
The official festival programme also includes an event that can hardly be called for everyone, yet many people want it. Die Hard is a motto that doesn’t scare you? Then treat yourself to a night of unlimited partying at the Carnival Official Dinner&Ball, the top masked ball at the Venice Carnival.
In an evocative location on the Grand Canal, this unique gala will make you experience the splendour of past centuries, when Venice was a capital of luxury and sophistication. Stunning shows, Michelin restaurant cuisine, and music by top international DJs await you.
The Doge‘s Ball is another exclusive party that is often confused with the Carnival Official Dinner&Ball. It is a megafest organised by fashion designer Antonia Sautter and is one of the most famous of the many private parties held in Venice during Carnival.
Again, we are talking about a masked ball where extravagance and luxury are taken to the extreme through meticulous sets, shows by international performers, refined menus and classy entertainment until late at night. It takes place in one of the most beautiful historical palaces overlooking the Grand Canal and is one of the most coveted social events.
You can attend, too, if you’ve got the cash to spare…. Tickets for the after-dinner party cost around 500 euros; but if you want to attend the grand gala with dinner, be prepared to shell out thousands of euros (per person, of course).
In both cases, the dress code requires a period costume for which you will have to shell out another thousand euros. Stuff for a thousand and one nights.
Are you irresistibly attracted by the magic of the Venice Carnival? Then why not start planning your holiday now? With the useful information below, you can clear up all your doubts and get started on the practical organisation.
One day is enough to get a taste of the special atmosphere during the Venice Carnival. However, if you want to attend more events or if it is your first time in Venice and you want to visit famous museums and attractions, we recommend a two-three-day holiday.
Good news: the Venice Carnival costs nothing. The city remains open to visitors without an entrance fee and all the main open-air events included in the official programme are free.
On the other hand, some theatrical performances and other indoor events plus all private parties are subject to payment. The prices of entrance tickets to private parties vary greatly depending on the location and the prestige of the event: they range from a few tens to several hundreds of euro, excluding costumes.
No, if you just want to walk around the city or attend free outdoor events. Although it is not compulsory, it is recommended to have more fun and get into the spirit of the event; especially if you are travelling with children, it would be a shame to leave your fancy dress at home.
Costume dress, on the other hand, is compulsory at almost all private parties; the most sophisticated ones have a very strict dress code that must be strictly observed.
Avoid showing off and buying a ticket to an exclusive party if you do not have a suitable costume or do not intend to rent one: with a low-quality mask or a tailor-made but inadequate suit (e.g. a dinner jacket) they will not let you in.
Souvenir masks are sold in many shops and stalls in the centre of Venice: it is impossible not to find one, in fact there are so many that you will almost get bored of them.
Be careful, though, because real Venetian masks are a very high quality craft product, which require laborious workmanship and are therefore very expensive. If you want to buy one of these and not a cheap imitation, either to wear or to display in your home as a valuable piece of furniture, only go to certified ateliers.
Masquerade costumes are also made by high-quality, hand-crafted tailors: they are very expensive and are definitely bulky, so even if you are willing to spend money, it is better to rent one locally than to buy it. Private parties usually have an agreement with the best Venetian ateliers that offer costume hire services.
The mask that is the symbol of the Venetian Carnival, refined and mysterious, is the bauta: a white mask that hides the face by 3/4 and makes one unrecognisable, while allowing one to eat and drink without having to remove it. In the past, this mask eliminated social differences by making nobles and people of humble origins similar in appearance. The female equivalent of the bauta is the moretta.
Two very famous Venetian Carnival masks are the plague doctor (so called because it recalls the protective masks used by doctors during the plague, characterised by a curved beak) and the bernardon, much loved by the lower classes.
The Carnival takes place in winter and almost all the events take place outdoors: these two factors require winter clothing that is warm and protects well from the cold and above all from humidity. Do not neglect this last detail because humidity greatly increases the perception of cold.
On the other hand, however, you will not infrequently find yourself in highly crowded situations, with people huddled close together: consequently, with too heavy clothing, you could get hot or even sweat. The advice is therefore to dress in layers in order to adapt your clothing to the situation.
As for shoes, the general rule for any visit to Venice applies: wear comfortable shoes that allow you to walk for hours without your feet hurting. Definitely not high heels, unless you are using them for a short walk from the hotel to dinner.
Certainly, and indeed your children will have a great time in a city full of colours, masks and confetti; moreover, the official programme includes numerous events for children.
Remember, however, that as this is a highly influential event you must be careful and never lose sight of your children. In narrow streets or other places where people are packed (e.g. in the square or on the vaporetti) it is recommended to hold children by the hand.
The Venice Carnival programme is published on the event’s official website; it is also available on the tourist board’s websites and apps and in the main local newspapers.
At the end of one edition it is already possible to know the dates of the next one; an indicative programme is available several weeks before the start, while the detailed day-by-day calendar is published close to the event.
The events scheduled in the official festival calendar are dedicated to a theme, which changes every year.
You can find general information for looking for a hotel or b&b inVenice on the ‘Where to stay in Venice‘ page. The same advice also applies to the Carnival period, bearing in mind, however, that this is the period of greatest tourist influx.
Some people prefer to book a hotel near St. Mark’s Square to be able to walk to all the key Carnival sites, but this means being in the midst of confusion at all hours.
Other people opt for a hotel in quieter areas to be able to avoid some of the crowds during the day. This can be a good idea, and you may even be able to save a little money, but you may need to use the vaporetti more often.
A visit to the Venice Carnival can be one of the best experiences of your life… or one of the most stressful. Here are a couple of things you should know to avoid a disappointing tour de force.
Always keep in mind that this is one of the busiest events in the world, with people every day at all hours of the day and night. Travelling on weekdays and staying in less touristy neighbourhoods can lead to a better travel experience, but the possibility of confusion should always be taken into account.
It is imperative to book your flight and hotel as early as possible so as not to risk paying absurd sums of money or, even worse, finding it sold out. If possible, book months in advance.
Remember that although they take place outdoors, the Flight of the Angel, the Flight of the Eagle and other famous events are subject to a maximum capacity. This means that once a certain number of spectators have been reached, entry is no longer allowed; once the event is over, the public is let out to allow more people to attend the next event.
If you want to experience the Carnival by night but are not staying in Venice pay close attention to the return times of trains and buses to avoid waiting for hours in the cold.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
Hotel 
Budget accommodations 
Apartments 
Family Hotel 
Luxury Hotel 
Resorts