Venice Carnival 2025: dos and don'ts for an authentic experience

From February 14th to March 4th, the Venice Carnival will once again enchant all visitors who will land in the lagoon. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of the timeless figure of Giacomo Casanova, adventurer, poet, writer. Casanova always remained tied to Venice, even though he traveled all over Europe. The invitation is to lose yourself in the game, love and madness that characterized not only his life, but the entire Venetian eighteenth century, the golden age, of entertainment and art; so, are you ready to immerse yourself "In the time of Casanova"?

This is the title of this year's edition that has many surprises in store ready to amaze and delight you among the calli and campi of wonderful Venice. Carnival is a unique time to visit Venice and many visitors choose it as a destination during this time of year, so the advice is to organize yourself in advance, don't be unprepared, we suggest you consider the Venice Pass, available in 2, 3 or 5 day versions, this unique card includes access to the main attractions and the use of public transport, so not only will you see the unsurpassed carnival, but you will also have the opportunity to visit the city.  

The Venice Carnival 2025 opens its doors on the evening of Friday 14 February, the evening of Valentine's Day, a tribute to all those who love each other. At 6:30 pm in Piazza San Marco, Venice turns the spotlight on an evening full of variety and entertainment, on the stage there will be music, opera, dance, gags and entertainment with special guests and if you are brave enough, the initiative SCREAM YOUR LOVE is back, a special occasion for your declaration of love directly from the stage of one of the most romantic cities in the world. On Sunday 16 February, the Water parade of traditional boats returns along the Grand Canal.

In the following days from February 21st until the end of the carnival the Arsenale Water Show, a show that will bring to life the adventures of Casanova - Giacomo a love story, starting at 6.45 pm when the lights are dimmed and the atmosphere becomes suggestive and romantic, there will be no shortage of the night scenography of dancing fountains, the lights and the surprising acrobatics of the French company Iltopie. But the Venice carnival is also art spread throughout the city, the magnificent Venice Carnival Street Show, a kermesse of various art shows in the fields of Venice, in the center of Mestre and on the islands of the lagoon and the parades of allegorical floats that will involve the entire mainland with their colors and animation. Here is the complete program of the Venice carnival but now continue reading and discover the things to do to live an authentic experience and take advantage of our advice on what not to do.

The first piece of advice we give you to experience the Venice Carnival in an authentic way is to wear a costume, feel part of another era, play another part for a day or more, feel like you are in another person's shoes to finally be free to abandon all the legacies linked to your time. Obviously, since this year's edition is dedicated to the eighteenth century, the advice is to wear the mask of a great lady or a handsome Giacomo Casanova, let your imagination run wild with corsets, rouge, gold embroidery or wigs. But carnival is carnival so freely choose the mask you prefer; you will certainly not be out of place.

If you are good at sewing you can make it yourself, there are Venetians who start preparing their own mask months and months in advance, but if you are not good with needle and thread and your creative imagination is lacking there are many Ateliers in Venice where you can rent your dress, the prices vary depending on the value of the mask you want to wear, let yourself be guided by expert craftsmen.

The second tip to experience your Venice Carnival authentically is to wake up early when the first lights of the sun begin to clear the fog and take a walk starting right from Piazza San Marco, one of the most characteristic districts of the Lagoon, between the fog and the silhouettes of the famous Venetian buildings you will see the masks and the atmosphere is unique.

You will also have the opportunity to feel a bit like Giacomo Casanova who returned home early in the morning after his nocturnal adventures. Lose yourself in the calli and campi and watch the city wake up. Don't forget to bring your camera with you to immortalize the period costumes in their scenic poses.

If you followed our advice and left early, then there is nothing better than stopping for a breakfast or second breakfast tasting one of the typical sweets of the Venice Carnival, the Lagoon has a very ancient confectionery tradition, especially for its beloved carnival. Frittelle, Galani and castagnole with their delicious aroma will envelop you and you will get a sugar load suitable for facing the whole day. Venetian frittelle or fritole are fried doughnuts that you can find filled with cream, chocolate, zabaglione, with raisins and pine nuts or in their simple version. Galani in other areas of Italy are called frappe or crostoli, they are simple thin sheets of pastry covered in powdered sugar. While castagnole are small fried dough balls, similar in appearance to chestnuts, that you can find filled with custard, cream, rum, chocolate, but also in their simple version. Stop at one of Venice’s many pastry shops or bakeries and indulge in a load of Carnival sugar.

This advice is a bit daring and is aimed at those who have set aside a nice budget for Carnival, the magnificent rooms of Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, overlooking the Grand Canal, host the Carnival Official Dinner Show on the evenings of February 22 and 23 and from February 27 to March 4. Put on your costume and climb the iconic staircase of the palace, inside a masked ball and a dinner for the most refined palates will catapult you to the time of Casanova and also surprising plays of light, themed sounds and wonderful shows, all designed to find you immersed in the heart of the 18th century between intrigue, passion and seduction exactly like in the time of Casanova.

These are the most anticipated evenings for the most exclusive visitors of the Venice Carnival. For these evenings it is mandatory to wear a period or themed costume, therefore evening dresses or tuxedos are not allowed and entry is prohibited to minors under 18 years of age. 

If you are creative and want to design and make your own mask, this is your opportunity. You will have the chance to learn the ancient technique for making a papier-mâché mask, a master craftsman will reveal all the tricks to you and will not fail to tell you anecdotes and stories related to the Venice Carnival. This experience is suitable for families with children, but also for solitary travelers who do not limit themselves to visiting the city, but want to get their hands dirty and make something that they can take home and will always evoke the memory of the magnificent experience of the Venetian carnival. The experience lasts a good hour and is available in various languages, the workshop we recommend is near Piazza San Marco, here in addition to learning this art you can take refuge and relax in a quiet place away from the colorful chaos that rages in Venice during the days of the carnival.

The flight of the angel is one of the most anticipated events of the carnival, a symbolic event that starts this magical period of games and colors, you should know that the Maria winner of the Carnival Competition of the previous year, with a surprising flight will descend from the bell tower to Piazza San Marco, the show is surprising and will leave you speechless. The feast of the Maries that ends with the choice of the winning Maria is held every year and recalls the ancient tradition with which the Doge every year chose 12 girls to give them dogal jewels as a wedding dowry.

If the flight of the angel marks the beginning of the celebration, the flight of the Lion marks the end, usually taking place during the afternoon of Shrove Tuesday, the gonfalon of San Marco, El paron de casa, the red silk banner with the winged golden lion, symbol of Venice, printed on it, travels almost 90 meters from the center of Piazza San Marco to reach the bell tower of the Campanile in the Piazza, and just as the carnival opened with the flight of the angel from above to below, it closes with the flight from below to above, returning to that ethereal dimension that beautiful dreams are made of.

Now that you know what you can do during the Venice Carnival to live an authentic experience, we cannot leave you before giving you some advice on what not to do during the Carnival. Carnival is one of the most crowded moments in Venice, one of the first pieces of advice especially if you have selected some events from the rich calendar that you do not want to miss is not to go out at the last minute, you risk finding squares and streets crowded with people and not being able to see the show you wanted so much. 

If you are not a fan of crowds but still want to participate in the Carnival, we recommend that you do not go at peak times such as weekends or Thursday or Shrove Tuesday but prefer weekdays that are generally less crowded. If you want to participate in the exclusive masked ball, do not wait until the last minute to buy tickets, these events despite the high cost are highly sought after and tickets sell out easily. The general advice is therefore not to leave things to chance for your Venice Carnival, except for your creativity. Once again, we suggest you consider the Venice Pass or another card that also allows you to visit the city with the right calm without wasting time in lines or lack of tickets. Enjoy your adventure!