The Carnival of Venice 2025 (Carnevale di Venezia 2025) will take place between Friday, February 14, and Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the incredible city of Venice.

1. CARNIVAL OF VENICE 2025
The Carnival of Venice 2025 (Carnevale di Venezia 2025) will take place between Friday,
February 14, and Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the incredible city of Venice.
WHAT ARE THE DATES FOR THE VENICE CARNIVAL
2025?
The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival held, of course, in Venice, which starts 19 days
before Lent and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday, the first
day of Lent.
Traditionally, the most important days of the Carnival are Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before
Lent), and Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday).
However, the greatest influx of tourists will be certainly recorded during the weekends of the
festival.
During the Carnival of Venice 2025, Fat Thursday will fall on February 27, and Shrove Tuesday
on March 4.
WHAT IS THE LOCATION OF THE CARNIVAL OF
VENICE 2025?
The Venice Carnival 2025 will take place in Venice, but through Venice we understand both the
main island, the other islands of the Venetian Lagoon, and also the continental part of the city.
The other islands of the Lagoon are Murano, Burano and Lido, and the continental part of the
city is represented by Marghera and Mestre.
Although the main events of the Carnival of Venice 2025 will take place in the historical center
of Venice, represented by the main island, certain events will be held in Mestre and Marghera, or
on the other islands of the Venetian Lagoon.
SHORT HISTORY OF THE CARNIVAL OF VENICE
The first information about a carnival in Venice dates back to 1094, when the word carnevale
was mentioned for the first time in a document signed by Doge Vitale Faliero.
Back then, the carnival was an event dedicated in particular to people from the lower classes,
who, through the anonymity guaranteed by masks, could relate with the nobility of the time.

2. The first official document declaring the Venice Carnival a public holiday dates back to 1296,
when the Senate of the Venetian Republic set it before Lent.
Starting with 1296, for the next few centuries, the Carnival lasted six weeks, usually between
December 26 and Ash Wednesday.
The Venice Carnival gave everyone the opportunity to hide their identity under a costume and
this inevitably led to some excesses.
On February 22, 1339, circulating masked around the city after nightfall was banned.
With a special decree of January 24, 1458, masked entry into sacred places was also prohibited,
and later the ban on masked prostitution was established as well.
Starting with 1703, it was also forbidden to go masked to casinos and gambling houses.
During the 18th century, the Carnival reached its maximum splendor and international
recognition, becoming famous throughout Europe, and Venice a destination that attracted
thousands of visitors.
Starting with 1797, when Napoleon invaded northern Italy, and later, during the subsequent
Austrian occupation, the tradition was interrupted for fear of rebellion.
Only on the islands of the Venice Lagoon, in particular Murano and Burano, the Carnival was
held, though in a more subtle manner.
In 1979, the centuries-old tradition of the Carnival of Venice was officially reborn, thanks to the
initiative of some citizen associations and the economic contribution of the Municipality of
Venice.
The individual annual editions of the modern Venetian Carnival were often dedicated to a basic
theme.
Some editions were characterized by pairings with other Italian and European cities, thus
providing a further involvement of the event at an international level.
The theme of the Carnival of Venice 2024 was Ad Oriente, which focused on the extraordinary
journey of Marco Polo.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE CARNIVAL OF
VENICE 2025
Starting with the first edition of the Carnival of Venice in its current form, in 1979, a program of
events and a detailed calendar was established.

3. Unlike the Venetian Carnival of the past, which had an official duration of six weeks, the modern
one takes place for only 18 days in a row, but is full of individual events.
In addition to the official events, various private parties and masked balls are organized in the
beautiful Venetian palaces.
In these venues, due to the almost unchanged furnishings and atmosphere, it is possible to relive
the ancient splendors of the Venetian Carnival of the past.
As usual, the highlights of the Carnival of Venice 2025 will be:
• The Opening Parade of the Venice Carnival 2025, along the Grand Canal;
• The Traditional Parade of the typical Venetian boats along the Grand Canal;
• Festa delle Marie, in Piazza San Marco;
• Flight of the Angel (Volo dell’Angelo), in Piazza San Marco;
• Flight of the Eagle (Volo dell’Aquila), in Piazza San Marco;
• Best Mask Contest, the Grand Final, in Piazza San Marco;
• The Official Dinner Show and Ball of the Venice Carnival 2025.
PHOTOS FROM THE PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE
VENICE CARNIVAL
If you are passionate about photography, and you love Venetian masks, costumes, and the entire
carnival culture, you can find photos from the previous editions of the Venice Carnival on our
blog, at the following links:
Carnival of Venice 2018 | Carnival of Venice 2020 | Carnival of Venice 2023 | Carnival of
Venice 2024