Last updated on June 27th, 2023 at 02:59 pm
Ever wanted to attend a masquerade ball? How about one of the finest masquerades in the world? Here’s all you need to know about attending this once-in-a-lifetime event in the one and only city of its kind – Venice, Italy! And don’t forget to grab your very own Venice carnival mask while you are there!
Let me tell you that no one can throw a better masquerade party than Venice. Whether or not you are heading there for celebrations this year, we promise to take you on a fun ride with this photo blog journal full of Venetian carnival costumes and the famous Italian masks.
If you only have a day to explore this gorgeous city then here’s a great guide on how to spend one day in Venice.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
What’s the Big Deal About Venice Carnival?
It is one of the oldest festivals in Italy. The Carnival is in fact a Christian celebration marked by feasts, parades, costumes, masks, and fanfare which ends on Fat Tuesday (also Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras) before the beginning of fasting period of Lent. Without getting too religious, some cities know how to celebrate their carnival in style. Who hasn’t heard of Brazil’s Carnival in Rio or the New Orleans’s Mardi Gras?
The Carnival in Venice, on the other hand, started off to commemorate the victory of Venice Republic in the 12th century and rose to fame during the Renaissance period. Needless to say, when we were planning our Italy trip around this time we couldn’t resist adding the Carnival in our itinerary.
When is Venice Carnival 2020?
This year the Venice Carnivale is from February 8th-25th. If you are going to be in or around Italy in Feb make sure to stop by!
Fair warning that the tiny islands of Venice get overcrowded given the popularity of this festival. While I am left wondering if the Venetian streets can handle the weight of the crowd while still being afloat, the people in pompous costumes and masks are celebrating the Carnival in full glory.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links
Where to see the Carnival in Venice?
Private Masquerade balls, dinners, and parties are thrown all over the city but attending one of those will come with a hefty price.
If you want to stay on a budget as we did and yet enjoy the best of the Carnival then head to San Marco square. This is where the free public events including the Best Masked Costume Contest of the year takes place. There are plenty of other free events happening all over the city, make sure to check the Carnival of Venice’s official page for more information.
Learn basic Italian words and phrases before you go to Venice
How Many Days to Spend?
This UNESCO World Heritage city is made up of islands floating on water connected by over 400 bridges. Yes, 400 hundred plus bridges!! In our opinion, 2 days in Venice is just about enough to explore the city.
How to Get Around in Venice?
The best way to explore Venice is on foot. Allow yourself to get lost in the maze of bridges. FUN FACT: There are no motor vehicles allowed on the roads or “calle” as they call it in Venice.
The other most important mode of transportation here are the water canals. From a private water taxi to public water buses called Vaporettos (which is what you should be going with to stay on a budget in this already overpriced city). Alilaguna is the public transport line that connects the Marco Polo Airport and Cruise terminals with the city center.
Related: Top 10 tips to plan your Italy trip
Gondola Ride in Venice – Is it worth it?
And then of course who wouldn’t want a romantic ride in a Venetian gondola. If that is something you really want to do then be ready to shell out 80-100 euros for 30 minutes. Since it was our anniversary when we visited Venice we could kind of justify the splurge but never again!
TIP: Some couples prefer to split the cost of a Gondola ride by sharing a ride. We were asked by a random couple but we declined very awkwardly.
Where to stay in Venice during the Carnival?
I would recommend staying closer to San Marco in Venice area since that is where the carnival action happens. But if you want to be away from the crowd then choose any other neighborhood but San Marco.
TIP: Make sure to carry warm clothes, it’s still winter in Venice. We barely saw the sun during our two days here in January.
Photography at the Carnival
Don’t be shy to take photos of strangers. These ornately dressed people have put in all this effort to get your attention, give them their due stardom. There are many professional photographers around during this time so you won’t be alone running around them with a camera in their face. TIP: We’d recommend carrying a good portrait lens for the occasion.
Cutting to the chase, below is a photo essay of striking Venetian masks and faces from our time in the Carnival of Venice. It was nothing short of attending a medieval Halloween party.
By the way, if we haven’t convinced you enough then here are 10 more reasons on why you must visit Venice.
We couldn’t resist the peer pressure and an hour later we had our very own masks!
Something to be Mindful of…
While we had a blast in this unexpected Carnival bonanza there were a few things the visitors took into consideration. Many visitors were using the carnival as an excuse to party and trash this beautiful city. Please be mindful of the place while you are having fun! In the name of carnival, we saw birds being abused. Please do NOT engage in these sort of activities for a phot-op!
And finally as goes with any other major tourist destination, the prices of everything in the city seemed to skyrocket this time of the year. Perhaps that’s something not uncommon in Venice.
We hope this fun post brought up your carnival spirits. In case you are going to Venice for this year’s Carnival, we would love to hear your feedback. If not, then do share the fun around!
Happy Traveling!!
Wow, fantastic blog structure!Awesome Pictures! I really appreciate your guide to Venice Carnival 2020. I’m definitely going to bookmark this.
Glad to hear that 🙂
What an incredible experience! Love this post, it really gives a glimpse into this festival – I so want to be in Venice for it one year!
I hope you get to go there some day! 🙂
This looks like so much fun! I can’t image how busy Venice must get during the Carnival of Venice – we visited during winter (obviously not during the carnival) and it was so quiet. Looks like it’s worth the effort though, your photos look amazing!
Thanks, we visited end of Jan considering it was winter as well.. but I guess the Carnival brings the crowd with it. But I am not complaining, I Had a blast 🙂
This is so cool! I am not a big party person but I have always wanted to go to Carnival in Venice. The event looks so unique (and I think you can get in costume too). Hope to go one day!
Oh Yes! you can get in a costume too. In fact you can even participate in the costume contest either as an individual or as a group. I think there is a website where you can get yourself registered if you are participating in the contest. Even as a tourist I would say dress up and roam around.. you might get a lot of attention that way 😉
Oh man I can imagine the crazy amount of people that are there for the festival. Those masks are so cool!
Ha, yes too many people and too much fun! No Venice without a mask eh 😉
Carnival in Venice sounds like so much fun. What a great time of the year to visit.
It sure is! 🙂
So colorful and happening! The crowd level is overwhelming though, I cannot imagine standing in the middle of the crowd at the square, too scary for me, lol. Thanks for sharing your experience and the whole atmosphere!
Yeah if you are not a crowd person I can totally see how this can be overwhelming. Esp since Venice streets are so narrow, the crowd seemed to look even more overpowering. But then we found some quiet corners away from the city center to get some sanity back 🙂
When I was much younger, I read a book called the Thief Lord and the masks completely reminded me of the ones Scipio wore in the novel (it happens to take place in Venice…so maybe it is based on this event). Anyways, I LOVED this post. I’m glad y’all caved into peer pressure and bought masks (Richa, you are rocking that look). The whole experience just sounds like such fun!
I knew I had a celebrity hidden somewhere inside of me.. hahaha You da best girl! I need to check out this book Thief Lord. I feel like Venice has gained so much popularity as a romantic getaway but attending this festival was like reliving those discovery channels or history channel shows in real life. Venice definitely is showcased in it’s true spirits during the Carnival.
I didn’t realize Venice had a Carnival festival, but those photos make me want to go! It’s unfortunate the festival is in the middle of winter, though.
Well.. there is no bad time to visit Italy 🙂 Middle of winter could also mean cheap flights 😉
I used to go to Carnival every year when I was younger, it really is one of the coolest experiences! Thanks for sharing about your experience, this post is extremely helpful for anyone planning a visit to Carnival!
The carnival characters were widely used in art, literature, theater, cinema then and are still being used now.