One of the most famous carnivals in the world is approaching. An event for which thousands of visitors from all over the world come every year. A celebration repeated for more than 900 years. We are, of course, about the Venice Carnival.
Carnival program
The Venetian Carnival currently lasts about 2 weeks, during which you can experience various events in the city - from a parade of masks, through ball evenings, flights of an angel, an eagle and a lion, to festive and lavish dinners.
The carnival will start this year on Saturday, February 8. The evening opening will take place on the Canale di Cannaregio, from 7 pm to 10 pm. On Sunday, February 9, the Venice Water Festival will continue from 10.30 am to 1 pm.
The traditional Festa delle Marie competition will take place on Saturday 15 February. The procession of 12 Mary will leave the island of San Piero di Castello at 2.30 pm and will continue along Garibaldi and Riva dei Schiavoni streets to St. Mark's Square, where it will arrive at around 4 pm. It is de facto a kind of "Miss Carnival". The 12 most beautiful Venetian girls take part. The competition is a reminder of the Venetian Doge, who each year offered twelve beautiful but poor Venetian girls beautiful dresses and jewelry as a wedding dowry. During the carnival, he also offered them the opportunity to learn how to perform socially, so that the girls could find a socially high-ranking groom.
The official opening of the carnival and at the same time one of its highlights - the flight of an angel - will take place on Sunday 16 February at noon in St. Mark's Square. An angel who hangs from the bell tower of St. Mark down the opposite side of the square, will be the winner of last year's traditional carnival competition Festa delle Marie - the beautiful Linda Pani. In the following week, there will be mask shows, competitions and other various activities related to the carnival period.
On the second Sunday of Carnival, February 23, an eagle flight will take place again in St. Mark's Square at 11 o'clock. The most beautiful carnival mask should also be announced on this day.
The end of the Venetian Carnival this year will be Tuesday, February 25. It will end with the coronation of Mary at 4.30 pm and the flight of a lion at 5 pm, again in St. Mark's Square.
During the carnival, many private parties and masquerade balls take place in the city. The most famous of these is probably the Ballo del Doge, which takes place at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia.
Useful information for carnival visitors
Date: 8 February - 25 February 2020
Where: the old town, especially St. Mark's Square and its surroundings
Price: admission to the carnival is free. Only private parties, dinners and theater performances are charged.
Program: detailed program of planned carnival events can be found here.
