Venice Carnival – Baroque Masks & Gondolas

Venice Carnival is a city-wide festival where people dress in 18th-century costumes and masks to enjoy a final period of excess before the Easter fasting period. It is a two-week public festival that turns the entire city of Venice into a massive, open-air masquerade. Historically, it started in 1162 as a military victory celebration, but it became famous because the masks allowed people to hide their identity and social class, giving them total freedom to ignore social rules.

The festival is famous for its artisan masks made from leather, porcelain, or glass, and for the heavy silk and velvet costumes that follow the 1700s Baroque style. Major attractions include the "Flight of the Angel," which is a live stunt where a person zip-lines from the 99-meter St. Mark’s Bell Tower, and the grand water parades with hundreds of decorated wooden boats on the canals. It is also the only time when private historic palaces open their doors for exclusive, candlelit masquerade balls.

The festivities open two weekends before Lent starts, beginning with a night-time water parade on Saturday and another show on Sunday morning. The following weekend features the "Festa delle Marie" procession on Saturday and the famous "Flight of the Angel" on Sunday at noon. The celebrations reach their peak during the final five days (Thursday to Tuesday), with daily costume contests ending on Shrove Tuesday - the final night of the carnival before the fasting period begins.

Good to know before going there
While access to Venice and its public squares remains free for all visitors, participating in the more exclusive traditions requires advanced planning and a significant budget. Watching the parades and street performances costs nothing, but attending a private masquerade ball or a gala dinner requires tickets that range from €150 to over €2,500. These should be booked online 4 to 6 months in advance through official platforms like Venezia Unica or directly from organizers such as Antonia Sautter. Similarly, those wishing to wear authentic 18th-century attire can rent costumes from historic ateliers like Atelier Tiepolo or Nicolao Atelier for €200 to €800 per day. This process involves an early online reservation followed by a mandatory fitting session in the city to ensure the costume is perfectly tailored.