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Venice Carnival: What to expect if you’re attending in 2024

With Venice’s world-famous Carnival set to begin at the end of January, what events can you look forward to this year and what are the key dates?

Carnival, Venice
Masked revellers wearing traditional carnival costumes in Venice in February 2023. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP

Venice is a magical city at any time of year but its beauty is possibly even more spellbinding during the local Carnival celebrations, whose magnitude and prestige attract tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. 

But as the floating city prepares to put on a varied programme of water parades, fine-dining experiences and street-art performances, all spread over some 18 days of carnevale fun, what are the dates of this year’s edition and which events can you particularly look forward to?

What are the dates?

The Venice Carnival – a tradition believed to date back to the late 14th century – is a festa mobile (‘movable festival’), meaning that the start and end dates change every year based on the liturgical calendar. 

This year’s celebrations will officially start on Saturday, January 27th with the launch of the Venice Carnival Street Show, consisting of multiple music, dancing, and theatre performances simultaneously held at various locations around the city.

Venice Carnival

Balloons fly from the “rat boat” during the traditional Grand Canal water parade opening the Venice Carnival in February 2023. Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

This will kick off nearly three weeks of events, unfolding both in the centro storico (city centre) and on the smaller islands of the lagoon.

READ ALSO: Five essential tips to escape the tourist crowds in Venice

As always though, celebrations will peak in the six days between giovedì grasso (‘Fat Thursday’, falling on February 8th) and martedì grasso (Shrove Tuesday, falling on February 13th). 

The most popular and widely anticipated events of the Venice Carnival are scheduled to take place during those days. However, that will also be the time when the city’s calli and squares will be most crowded. 

Main events

Celebrations will start with the above-mentioned street show on Saturday, January 27th and continue on the following day with a water parade that’ll see traditional Venetian vessels, including the beloved Pantegana (a boat shaped like a giant sewer rat), glide down the city’s Grand Canal.

The Festa delle Marie – a historic beauty pageant during which 12 young local women are dressed up in Renaissance costumes, paraded throughout the city, and then subjected to a vote as to which of them makes the best Maria – will take place on Saturday, February 3rd. 

The winner of the contest will then be announced in the La Fenice opera house on shrove Tuesday, the final day of the festival. 

Terra Incognita (literally, ‘Unknown Land’), a music and dancing show performed on floating stages set within the Arsenal (the former seat of the Venetian navy), will begin on Friday, February 2nd, with performances running on a nearly daily basis until the end of the festival.

The show will reportedly be centred around the adventures of Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant who, aged only 17, set out on a 24-year journey through Asia, chronicling his travels in what would later become the Book of the Marvels of the World.

Terra Incognita will run alongside At the Court of the Great Khan, a fine-dining experience where guests will be required to wear period costumes in line with the party’s theme: Marco Polo’s encounter with Mongolian Emperor Kublai Khan.

Venice, Carnival

A masked reveller poses in Venice’s St Mark’s Square in February 2022. Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP

The party will be held at Ca’ Vendramin Calergi – a magnificent 15th-century palace overlooking the Grand Canal – and will be available to the public on eight different dates. 

READ ALSO: Nine ways to get into trouble while visiting Venice

Besides the major events outlined above, street art performances, workshops, exhibitions and seminars will take place at various venues across the city for the entire duration of the festival. Some of these require booking in advance, which you can do on the Venice Carnival official website

On a rather sombre note, the Volo dell’Angelo (‘Flight of the Angel’), the traditional ceremony in which a costumed woman ‘flies’ down a cable from the bell tower in Saint Mark’s Square to the centre of the piazza, has been scrapped for the second time in a row due to ongoing repair work

How busy will it be?

There currently are no official estimates of how many people are expected to visit Venice during this year’s Carnival.

That said, the city generally sees around one million visitors over the course of the festival, recording peaks of 150,000 tourists a day in the final stages of the event.

The busiest time in the city is usually the six-day period between giovedì grasso (February 8th) and martedì grasso (February 13th), particularly the weekend (February 10th and 11th). 

READ ALSO: How will Venice’s ‘tourist tax’ work?

Given the large influx of visitors, every year local transport operator ACTV puts on more services for the entire duration of Carnival to avoid overcrowding on buses and water buses. 

Carnival timetables are expected to be released in the coming days. 

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ROME

The best things to do in Rome in May 2024

Whether you're a Rome resident or just passing through, the Eternal City has plenty to offer throughout the month of May.

The best things to do in Rome in May 2024

Circo Massimo Concertone – May 1st

Rome’s traditional Labour Day Concertone (‘big concert’) this year moves from its usual location in San Giovanni to Circo Massimo. Noemi and Ermal Meta are hosting the 2024 edition; entry is free.

Conca d’Oro street food festival – May 1st-5th

Ushering in the start of May, the Conca d’Oro neighbourhood is playing host to a five-day-long street food fair. 25 chefs will be present in the parking lot where this year’s festival is taking place.

Charity Cafe Jazz and Blues concerts – May 1st-4th

This intimate jazz cafe in the Monti district is hosting nightly Jazz and Blues concerts from 10pm from May 1st-4th. As of April 30th, the venue’s events calendar hasn’t been updated for May, but there’s typically something every Tuesday-Saturday.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Italy in May 2024

Photography exhibits – Various dates

At the Museum of Rome in Trastevere you can catch a series of photography exhibitions in May. A retrospective of the works of German street photographer Hilde Lotz-Bauer closes on May 5th; 100 works by the Spanish artist and photographer Ouka Leele will remain on display throughout the month; and a retrospective of Cameroonian photographer Angèle Etoundi Essamba will open on May 17th.

Free museum Sundays – May 5th

As usual, Rome will be opens most of its museums and cultural sites to the public for free on the first Sunday of the month. That includes the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, Galleria Borghese, Castel Sant’Angelo, and many more (full list here).

Rome’s Borghese Gallery is one of the sites open for free on the first Sunday of the month. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.

Incanti illusionist show – May 2nd-5th

Following a stop in Grosseto, the Incanti (‘enchantments’) show of illusions comes to Rome’s Teatro Olimpico for four days before moving on to Florence.

Swan Lake orchestral concert – May 2nd-4th

The Santa Cecilia National Academy orchestra is putting on a performance of Prokofiev’s second piano concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake suite at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica from May 2nd-4th.

READ ALSO: Nine of the best events to attend in Italy in spring 2024

Baby Sound – May 4th-5th

Also in conjunction with performers from the Santa Cecilia National Academy, Baby Sound, a musical workshop for young children aged 0-2, will take place at Auditorium Parco della Musica from May 4th-5th.

Internazionali d’Italia tournament – May 6th-19th

The 2024 edition of the Internazionali d’Italia – Italy’s most prestigious tennis tournament – will unfold at Rome’s Foro Italico sports venue from Monday, May 6th to Sunday, May 19th, with Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner set to take part in the contest.

World Press Photo Exhibition – May 9th onwards

The 2024 World Press Photo Exhibition opens at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on May 9th and is set to run for one month until June 9th.

Arrosticini festival – May 9th-12th

The ex-Mattatoio events and exhibition space in Testaccio is preparing to serve up lamb/mutton arrosticini skewers and other traditional Abruzzese fare over the course of four days from May 9th-12th.

READ ALSO: Eight unmistakable signs that spring has arrived in Italy

Fava bean and pecorino fair – May 12th

Fava beans and pecorino cheese, a traditional Roman combo, are on the menu in the town of Filacciano, an hour’s journey outside the city, on this May 12th food festival.

Joel Nafuma Refugee Centre fundraising dinner – May 24th

After a long hiatus, Rome’s Joel Nafuma Refugee Centre is starting up its fundraising dinners again on May 24th. This one features Syrian and Palestinian food supplied by Hummustown, and costs €30 (discounted rate €20).

ARF! comics fair – May 24th-26th

Another event taking place at the ex-Mattatoio in Testaccio in May is the ARF! comics festival, three days of exhibitions, talks, and workshops, including a kids’ corner.

It’s set to coincide with the Street Sud Festival featuring southern Italian street food, which is also scheduled to take place at the Mattatioio from May 23rd-26th.

Japan Days – May 25th-26th

Prati’s bus depot plays host to this Japanese market, where you can expect to find 100 exhibitors selling items from kimonos to kokeshi dolls, along with talks and presentations bonsai workshops and an abundance of Japanese food.

Recurring events

Campagna Amica sells locally grown fresh produce every Saturday and Sunday on Via di San Teodoro 74.

The Porta Portese flea market, which takes place every Sunday, is one of the largest (and busiest) the city has to offer.

Performances Verdi’s La Traviata, The Three Tenors, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Bach’s masterpieces continue to be held on various dates at St Pauls Within the Walls throughout the month of May.

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