The Venice Carnival February - March - Venice - Events and Festivals

Venice attracts visitors from all over the world thanks to its spectacular beauty and also thanks to the important international events that take place there, such as the Biennale and Film Festival. There is also the Venice Carnival, a period when it is difficult to find accommodation in Venice. It is therefore recommendable, if you are planning a trip to the city at the same time as one of these events, to book at least 1 or 2 months in advance in one of the Venice hotels or Venice bed and breakfast establishments that you have chosen.

The Venice Carnival February - March
This is a wild, enjoyable festival. Carnival has ancient origins and originally lasted for a long time: from December 26th to Ash Wednesday.
In the past Carnival played an important social function: it created a temporary escape valve for the people who were strictly observed all year by the Doge’s government. In this period they at least appeared to be free, dressing up and partying day and night.
Shows were put on in the squares and in Piazza San Marco, especially on Jeudi and Mardi Gras, the most important days of Carneval. Carnevale reached the height of its magnificence in 1700 when it began to attract visitors from all over Europe. The “maschereri” were founded to meet the growing need for masks: they were true crafts experts for dressing up and created masks and heavy velvet cloaks for the occasion. The most fashionable mask was Bauta, a unisex costume made from a black tricorn hat, a white paper-mache mask that left the mouth uncovered for eating and drinking and a black cloak.
Carnevale is still celebrated in the open air today, with public shows and private parties organized in the Venetian palaces. People really let themselves go and there are many tourists around to watch, who either dress up or who just watch. The Venice Carnival has also invented some official sweetmeats: “fritole” (fried sweets) and “galani”. “Fritole” can be made with raisins and pine nuts (from Venice) or using a rich custard or zabaione filling.