The Venice Carnival held annually in Venice, Italy, is a beautiful historical and cultural festival that is oblivious to most of us. It originally began as a celebration of the Venice republic's victory over its enemy, and the people gathered in St Mark's square to dance in celebration. Under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor and later Emperor of Austria, Francis II, the festival was outlawed entirely in 1797 and the use of masks became strictly forbidden, but the Italian government helped Venice's people revive their festival in 1979. The tourists who visited the town showed a lot of interest in the festival, and that is how it gained popularity fast. The festival is usually held at the beginning of the year. In 2022, it will be held from 19th February to 1st of March.
Venice is an exciting town to be in and a beautiful holiday destination. It has no major roads, only pathways, and cars were banned there. The town seems floating, and the only way to connect one street to another is through water vessels like canoes, water taxis, and gondolas. The dates of the Venice carnival change each year according to lent. Shrove Tuesday marks the end of the festival as people wait for Lent and Easter. The Venice carnival commences with a huge opening, the Festa Veneziana, where there is a grand celebration on the waterways as gondolas and boats shine lots of light at night. A beautiful sight to behold.
A big part of the Venice carnival is the masks and costumes sold all year long in Venice. They are highly decorated, are colorful, and their prices vary from cheap ones to costly ones. This festival is not just taken lightly by Venice's people as the activities throughout the 17-day festival do not slow down. Among the actions that take place during the carnival is the festival of the water, where there are unique music, traditional delicacies for the celebration, and individual boats. The second activity is the re-enactment of Doge's traditional beauty contest; it is referred to as the Festa Delle Marie parade. It is followed by the best mask contest whereby people wear their masks, and the judge decides which one is the best of them all. The winner of each day makes it to the finals, which are held later on.
Despite no cars being allowed in Venice's town, our family-run bus company Irro Chartercan provide charter bus transport up to the outside of the town and can be back for you when the festival is done or depending on how long you would want to stay.We can also assist at booking water taxis and luggage transfers.