Venice Carnival 2027
Ten days in which the city wears its eighteenth century again.
Countdown to Venice 2027
Dates
When is Venice Carnival?
Venice Carnival 2027 falls from Thursday, 4 February 2027 to Tuesday, 9 February 2027 (expected; it can move by a day).
Carnival always ends on Shrove Tuesday, 9 February 2027; the organiser has not yet published the 2027 programme, which usually opens one to two weekends earlier.
Date checked against carnevale.venezia.it
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 January – 17 February 2026Sat – Tue | 18 days | Past |
| 2027 | 4 – 9 February 2027Thu – Tue | 6 days | Expected |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Parade & Carnival
- Tradition
- Christian
- Where
- Venice, Veneto
- Crowd
- 3 million visitors
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
Behind the mask, class is unreadable. That was the original point — the bauta was designed so a noble could speak to anyone without either party being compromised.
Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday and the city stops. What is left for the ten days before it is a series of set pieces: the Flight of the Angel from the Campanile, the Festa delle Marie, and the water parade along the Cannaregio.
The costumes are not fancy dress in the modern sense. The finest are handmade over months by the city's mask-makers, and the competition for la maschera più bella is taken extremely seriously by the people who lose it.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Venice
Traditions
What actually happens
- Volo dell'Angelo — the opening descent from the bell tower into St Mark's Square.
- Festa delle Marie — a procession commemorating the rescued brides of 943.
- Svolo del Leon — the lion of St Mark, shown on the screen at the end.
- Il Carnevale in corte — masked balls in the palazzi along the Grand Canal.
Food
The table, widened
- Frittelle and galani — the two fried doughs that define the fortnight.
- Baccalà mantecato, sarde in saor, cicchetti and a prosecco that never quite stops.
Music
Sound of the crowd
Vivaldi's concertos are the house soundtrack, and not only for the tourism. Baroque ensembles play in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco and in the churches, which is the rare case of a festival's music being genuinely of its period.
Religion
Why this date
Carnival is the last permission before Lent. Venice's version was unusually long and unusually unmasked — the Republic's tolerance was commercial as much as spiritual, since visitors spent heavily during it.
History
How it survived
Documented from 1094 and at its most anarchic in the eighteenth century, when the city was a destination for masked gambling and duelling. Napoleon abolished it in 1797 and it stayed abolished until 1979, when the city relaunched it as a cultural economy.
History
How it got here
Documented from 1094 and at its most anarchic in the eighteenth century, when the city was a destination for masked gambling and duelling. Napoleon abolished it in 1797 and it stayed abolished until 1979, when the city relaunched it as a cultural economy.
1094
First record
The earliest written reference to Venetian carnival pre-Lent festivities.
1797
Abolition
Napoleon's occupation ends the Republic and with it the carnival.
1979
Relaunch
The city government reinstates carnival as a winter cultural programme.
Today
Three million
Around three million visitors fill the city for ten days each February.
Travel & practical
Visiting Venice for Venice
Getting there
VCE or Treviso (TSF), then water bus or people mover. No cars reach the historic centre.
Best days
The two weekends. Midweek is significantly quieter and the light on the canals is better.
Practical notes
Book a costume fitting months ahead if you want the real thing. Masks hide nothing from the police.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Venice Carnival: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Venice Carnival.
Can I wear a mask in public?
Historically yes; in practice masks are worn freely during carnival but not at ATMs or in banks.
Why is it so crowded?
It is one of very few events that fills a city of 50,000 residents with three million visitors.
Is it family friendly?
Yes — the daytime piazza programmes are among the most family-friendly in Europe.
Also in February 2027
You might also like
Other parade & carnival and christian festivals.
Run a festival site or travel blog?
Find places to list your event and earn links in our free backlinks directory.