Venice Cultural Events and Festivals
Introduction
Venice is a visually stunning city, but it also has a rich cultural calendar, with festivals, concerts, and special religious observations nearly year-round. While the pre-lenten festival of Carnevale is Venice’s most famous annual event, every month sees something going on in the Lagoon City.
January in Venice
New Year’s Day is quiet in Venice after the late-night celebrations. On January 6, Epiphany and la Befana are celebrated as they are everywhere in Italy but with a unique touch: La Regatta delle Befane. This marks the end of Italy’s Christmas and year-end celebrations, as kids return to school and everyone returns to work after La Befana.
The Feast of the Epiphany, an essential post-Christmas date on the Christian calendar, is celebrated on January 6 as a national holiday in Italy. The tradition of La Befana, who arrives on the Epiphany, plays a big part in Italian Christmas celebrations. The holiday also marks the end of Christmas and New Year’s festivities in Italy, after which children return to school, adults return to work, and Christmas decorations come down. Strictly from a religious standpoint, the Feast of the Epiphany commemorates the twelfth day of Christmas, when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for Baby Jesus. But for Italian children, it’s the day when they finally get their holiday loot.
Italy’s traditional holiday celebration includes the tale of a witch named La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones. According to the legend, the night before the Wise Men arrived at the Baby Jesus’ manger, they stopped at the shack of an older woman to ask for directions. They invited her to come along, but she replied that she was too busy. A shepherd asked her to join him, but again, she refused. Later that night, she saw a great light in the sky and decided to join the Wise Men and the shepherd, bearing gifts that had belonged to her dead child. She got lost and never found the manger.
February in Venice
Events for Carnevale, Italy’s Mardi Gras, start a couple of weeks before the actual date of Shrove Tuesday, so a carnival theme dominates the city in February. You’ll see Venetians in elaborate masks and costumes everywhere and may be tempted to join in yourself. Venice Carnevale is Italy’s top celebration for Carnival or Mardi Gras. Carnevale season lasts about two weeks, culminating on the day of Carnival (called Martedi Grasso, or Fat Tuesday, in Italian). The weekend before Fat Tuesday usually sees the most parties and events. Still, during Carnevale season, Venice is abuzz with costumed characters, street performers, scheduled concerts and entertainment, boat parades, and food stalls. Even if you don’t attend any of the parties or fancy masquerade balls, it’s a fun time to visit—if you can deal with the crowds and high season prices.
Nota Bene: The Venice Carnevale will be celebrated traditionally from February 19 to March 12.
March in Venice
Either Carnevale or Easter falls in March, so celebrations revolve around these holidays. The week before Easter is one of the most critical periods on the Italian calendar. March 8, Mother’s Day, Festa della Donna, and March 19, and Joseph’s Day are also celebrated as Father’s Day in Italy.
April in Venice
Easter sometimes falls in April, but the most significant day on the Venetian calendar is April 25l 25, the feast day of Saint Mark, Venice’s patron saint. Events include a gondoliers’ regatta, commemorations in Saint Mark’s Basilica, and festivities in Saint Mark’s Square. On Saint Mark’s Day, men give their wives or girlfriends the “bocolo,” the bloom of April 25. April 25 is also Liberation Day, commemorating Italy’s liberation at the end of World War II.
May May 1nice
May 1, Labor Day, is a national holiday on which many Italians visit tourist destinations. Venice is very crowded on this day, and some museums will be closed. The Festa della Sensa, commemorating Venice’s marriage to the sea, takes place on the first Sunday after Ascension Day (40 days after Easter), followed by the Vogalonga, a rowing race, the next weekend.
June in Venice
June 2 is a national holiday for Republic Day. The Biennale Art Expo opens in June of odd-numbered years, but in even-numbered years, biennales are dedicated to architecture, dance, and other arts. Towards the end of June every year, there’s Art Night Venezia.
July in Venice
July’s biggest festival is the Festa del Redentore, commemorating the end of the plague in 1576. Events center around the beautiful Redentore church on Giudecca island, temporarily connected to the rest of Venice by a pontoon bridge.
August in Venice
The traditional start of the Italian summer is on August 15 and August 15, Ferragosto; during this month, there are outdoor concerts and movies. The famous Venice Film Festival usually starts at the end of the month. Ferragosto, or Assumption Day, is an Italian national holiday and holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church. CeleAugust 15on August 15, Ferragosto, is the height of the Italian vacation season. While many businesses in the larger cities may be closed, museums and tourist shops will be open and bustling. Millions of Italians take annual vacations two weeks before August 15, meaning highways, airports, train stations, and beaches will be packed to the gill on September 1eptember 1 when Italians return to work, kids get ready to return to school, businesses return to regularly scheduled hours and practices.
September in Venice
September starts with the Historical Regatta, an exciting gondola race, and the Venice Film Festival is in full swing, so that you may run into some celebrities.
October in Venice
Opera season at La Fenice usually starts in October, and at the end of the month, there are some Halloween events and parties.
NoveNovember 1nice
November 1 is All Saints’ Day, a public holiday. The Festa della November 21, on November 21, is another big festival celebrating the end of the plague, this time in 1631.
December in Venice
December 8 is a national holiday celebrating Christmas. During the month, various Christmas markets and events occur, as well as Hanukkah events, particularly in the Jewish Ghetto. The big New Year’s Eve celebration is in Piazza San Marco, with a midnight fireworks show and plenty of revelry.
