All the events not to be missed in Venice in 2025

Whether there is a reason or not, Venice is always worth it! Getting lost in the streets, watching the quiet swaying of the gondolas on the water, breathing in a bit of that magic that the Venice lagoon always knows how to give to anyone who visits it.

Surely, however, if there is an event scheduled you will have a double reason to organize a trip to Venice and you will be doubly satisfied. You will have taken advantage of its beauty, but also seized an unrepeatable opportunity: one of those that "if you are not in the right place at the right time" you risk missing. So, diary in hand, here you will read all the events not to be missed in Venice in 2025... Reflect, decide and mark down the period in which coming to Venice would be nice for more than one reason. And don't forget that to visit Venice easily and without worries you can take advantage of the Venice Pass, a single card that gives you access to the main attractions of Venice and at the same time to use public transport and you will have discounts and facilities for various structures.

Venice is unique and a trip to Venice is the dream of all sensitive souls and lovers of beauty. Organizing a visit to Venice during one of the important events of 2025 means enjoying the Serenissima doubly and discovering another side of the city, not just a postcard place, but also alive and active, full of joy, interests, history and culture.

A traditional historical festival, with re-enactments, atmosphere and splendor? Or a vernissage of contemporary art? Venice contains an invaluable historical heritage and a truly contemporary soul and will be able to offer you what interests you most. Due to its strategic position, Venice is very well connected abroad, and this is why so many international fairs of great appeal are held here annually. Continue reading and decide which period you would like to organize your trip to the Lagoon starting from the first day of 2025.

Start right away by taking advantage of the first big event of the year, the most awaited night, the one that separates the old from the new and in one fell swoop you will free yourself from everything that has tired you and immerse yourself in the realm of new resolutions. At the stroke of midnight, a great show awaits you in Venice, the San Marco Basin will light up thanks to the fireworks show, designed to welcome 2025 in an exciting and suggestive setting.

If you want to enjoy this show at its best, the ideal places are Riva degli Schiavoni, Riva Ca 'di Dio, Riva San Biagio, Riva dei Sette Martiri, better to avoid Piazzetta and Piazza San Marco, in addition to being crowded they do not have a good view of the fireworks. New Year's Eve is the first of the events not to be missed in Venice in 2025, and to stay in the area without losing the chance to get a spot to have a perfect view, try Venetian street food.

Everything that happens in Venice is transformed into a work of art, artists love Venice and the Serenissima loves artists and art in a relationship of full reciprocity. Let's venture among the exhibitions and vernissages scheduled for 2025. Let's start with the exhibitions that have already started, but if you haven't taken advantage of them, there is time until March 2025. At the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, on display until March 3, 2025, Marina Apollonio with the exhibition Oltre il cerchio, the largest retrospective ever organized inside a museum, dedicated to one of the major exponents of international Optical and Kinetic Art. Let's move a little outside the Lagoon, but still in the territory of Venice, at the Candiani Cultural Center in Mestre, until March 4, we find the exhibition Matisse and the light of the Mediterranean.

Until March 31st in the wonderful setting of Ca’ Rezzonico – Museo del Settecento Veneziano, you will find Leaps, gaps and overlapping diagrams, the interesting and beautiful exhibition project by Loris Cecchini, installed in one of the most beautiful museums in Venice, we know the contrast between ancient and contemporary always has its effect. If instead you want to participate in a double vernissage on April 6th in the beautiful spaces of Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana will inaugurate the first major Italian exhibition of the German artist Thomas Schutte, an artist who, with his originality and constant experimentation, has influenced the entire contemporary art scene. And the exhibition of the Franco-Italian artist Tatiana Trouvé, the first major monographic exhibition dedicated to the artist.

In February, exactly from February 14th to March 4th, the most colorful celebration of the year returns: Carnival. In 2025, its beginning falls exactly on Valentine's Day, double the reason to treat yourself to a trip to Venice, the most romantic city in Italy and the most extravagant when it comes to Carnival. In the Lagoon during this period, everything is allowed.

Even just a walk through the streets will give you great satisfaction, watching the masks that begin to appear at the first light of dawn, with that light fog that makes everything muffled and dreamlike. The events for the Venice Carnival are many and located throughout the city, the program is still being defined, but great surprises are expected.

“To face a world in flames, architecture must be able to exploit all the intelligence that surrounds us” commented Carlo Ratti, the architect and engineer who this year will curate one of the most famous international architecture exhibitions in the world. The 19th Architecture Biennale 2025 will open its doors on Saturday, May 10 and close its doors on Sunday, November 23.

It promises to be an important and committed exhibition where all the attention is directed towards a more sustainable model for design and therefore: eliminating waste, circulating materials by regenerating natural systems, adopting a transformative and sustainable design; with the aim of demonstrating that architecture and the environment can coexist in harmony with the planet. The title of the Architecture Biennale 2025 will be Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. As always, it will take place at the Giardini della Biennale, at the Arsenale and in various locations in the city of Venice. Visiting the Biennale is always an unmissable emotion that is repeated every two years, we advise you not to miss it and take advantage of the long period in which it is open to organize a trip to Venice.

On May 29, the sixth edition of the Salone Nautico opens its doors, one of the main international trade fairs dedicated to boating. The exhibition venue will also be the Arsenale of Venice, symbol and beating heart of its naval industry. The Salone Nautico is promoted by the municipality of Venice and can be visited until June 2, 2025, in collaboration with the Italian Navy.

There will be meetings, presentations, an E-village dedicated to electric boats, exhibitions, artistic installations and guided tours, but there will also be water trials, sports regattas and many stands dedicated to the sector, obviously there will be various refreshment points where you can refresh yourself with Venetian specialties. You can consult all the updates on the official website of the Salone Nautico.

There are some festivals linked to Venetian tradition that are unmissable events, if you are thinking of taking a trip to Venice in the new year, mark the date of June 1, 2025 in your diary, on this day the Festa della Sensa is celebrated, in which Venice relives the wonderful marriage with the sea, celebrates its thousand-year history and its intimate relationship with the Sea and with the practice of Venetian Rowing.

Once upon a time on this day the Doge, in a symbolic act, threw a gold ring into the waves of the sea, a mystical marriage that was celebrated every year, a blessing of the waters, to propitiate the tranquility of the sea and symbolize the dominion of Venice over it. Today this traditional festival is celebrated with a water procession made up of traditional rowing boats, led by the "Serenissima", which goes from Piazza San Marco to the Lido. On the main boat the Mayor of Venice repeats that symbolic and millenary rite of throwing the ring into the sea. The Festa della Sensa is one of the most evocative event that takes place in Venice.

Another important event with history and tradition is the Festa del Redentore, which this year will take place on the weekend of 18 - 20 July. The Festa del Redentore is one of the most heartfelt festivities for the citizens, which commemorates the end of the plague of 1575-1577. The heart of the festival is on the island of Giudecca, a long votive bridge of boats is set up on the Giudecca canal, which connects the island with the Fondamenta delle Zattere, allowing pedestrian access to the church of the Redentore.

In this much-loved festival, the religious and the spectacular aspects coexist. On Saturday night, on the incomparable stage of the Bacino di San Marco, a fabulous fireworks display attracts thousands of visitors. During the two-day festival, many initiatives recall folklore, gastronomic traditions and much more. The detailed program is still being defined.

if you are a lover of cinema and Venice, this year's event not to be missed is the 82nd International Film Festival, which will run from August 27th to September 6th. To attend the festival, it is best to organize yourself well in advance, due to the maximum attendance that the Lagoon will have during that period, consequently reservations must be made in advance.

For Venice this is the fulcrum period of its artistic vitality, even the atmosphere is different, energetic and sparkling. During the Festival you will have the opportunity to participate in numerous screenings, meet your movie stars and famous people, fully enjoy the charm of Venice and maybe manage to participate in one of the many parties that take place in the Serenissima at this time of year. The Film Festival is an event not to be missed in Venice in 2025.

It is well known that most of the events that take place in Venice cannot ignore the water, these wonderful scenarios that remind us every time of the strong bond between the Serenissima and the sea. On the first Sunday of September the Historical Regatta takes place, which is a historical reenactment and sporting event of Venetian rowing. The event takes place on the Grand Canal and for the occasion you will see many people sitting on the edges of the Canal, also in this case start early, bring with you anything you may need and earn a place on the bank to be able to enjoy the show at its best.

The Historical Regatta opens with a historical parade that recalls the triumphal welcome reserved for the Queen of Cyprus, when in 1489 she arrived in the city after the abdication of her throne in favor of Venice. The boats and the people inside them will take you back to the golden glories of the past. After the Historical Parade the sporting race begins which consists of a competition between traditional Venetian boats, this represents the most important city sporting event of the year. Here we are at the end of our roundup. If a trip to Venice is on your wish list for 2025, organize yourself in advance and once again we suggest you consider the Venice Pass, pass par tout that opens all the doors of the Serenissima. Enjoy it!