
VENICE CARNIVAL 2016 – PROGRAM & EVENTS

Venice Carnival 2016
VENICE CARNIVAL 2016 – PROGRAM & EVENTS
When is Venice Carnival on?
This year’s Venice Carnival takes place from January 23rd to February 9th 2016, which means that right now, if you are in Venice, you would be coming across plenty of people wearing masks and you too could be taking part to the Carnival, enjoying the typical Venetian delightful cakes called frittelle and galani and the full program of events.

Frittelle alla Veneziana for Venice Carnival

Venice Carnival
The Venice Carnival 2016 program is pretty full, so I am not going to list all the activities and events, but I will mention only the most famous and interesting. You can find a complete list on the official website of the Carnival of Venice.
VENICE CARNIVAL 2016 – PROGRAM & EVENTS
January 23rd and 24th 2016
Festa Veneziana Sull’Acqua
In the past this festival used to go unnoticed because, even though it was the most deeply felt by Venetians, it took place in a very residential part of Venice.
But in the coming years more people have discovered this amazing show and this year opening of the carnival has been something memorable: a parade of boats glided along the wonderfully lit up Cannaregio Canal, festively decorated according to the theme of 2016 Venice Carnival, Creatum, as an idea of a revival of the ancient origins of Venice.
The Venetian festival on the water consisted of two parts: the first fashion show took place at 18.00 on Saturday 23 January, the second at 10:00 am on Sunday 24th.
Both deserved to be seen to enjoy the show with both sunlight and in the evocative setting of the night. After the parade the celebration continued with stands of Venetian street food.
30th January 2016
The “Marie” Parade
The “Marie” are 12 Venetian girls who parade in beautifully decorated costumes during the Venice Carnival through the city and among them is elected the most beautiful one. She then becomes the “Maria of the year”.
This event recalls the Feast of Marie that was celebrated in the period of the Venetian Republic, when 12 girls were chosen among the poorest in the city. They were then assigned to rich families who got them to wear rich clothes and jewelry and gave them a dowry so they could get married. The girls then paraded in a procession across the city and the party was accompanied by banquets and celebrations.
The feast of Marie starts with a procession from San Piero di Castello at 14.30 which sees the 12 girls parading in period costumes arriving in Piazza San Marco at around 16:00, when they are presented to the crowds filling San Marco Square.
Carnival in love Bellini Cocktail Party
Imagine to be the special guest at a party in the first Casinò of Venice. During the Republic of Venice it was forbidden to gamble in public places…so, during the 17th century “The Ridotto” was born, in what is now the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, the location of this wonderful costume party organized by Sogno Veneziano.
Under the Venetian government, the Ridotto was a place where Venetians went to gamble, to have a good time and participate in all kind of entertainments, indulging in all possible transgression. Carnival lasted six months and the Ridotto became incredibly famous, so much so that people from all over the world came to Venice to visit it.
Attending Sogno Veneziano Atelier’s Bellini Cocktail Party you will be able to feel like Giacomo Casanova, in a magnificent Venetian Palace, which the popular playboy made his second house, to seduce women and enjoy life.
Masks, costumes, good food and beverages, dances and shows….
An unconventional way to live the Venetian Carnival!
For information and bookings: Sogno Veneziano Atelier Bellini Cocktail Party
31st January 2016
Flight of the Angel

The Flight of the Angel
The flight of the Angel or of the Colombina sees the godmother of the Carnival descending from the bell tower of Venice to land gracefully in Piazza San Marco. This year’s godmother will be the winner of the 2015 Festival of Marie.
This show recalls the story of a Turkish tightrope walker that in the sixteenth century was able to walk a tightrope between the bell tower of San Marco and a boat anchored on the pier of the Piazzetta.
The flight of the angel takes place at 12.00 in Saint Mark’s Square.
February 6th 2016
Il Ballo del Doge

Il Ballo del Doge Poster by Il Ballo Del Doge official Site
Il Ballo del Doge ® is not just an event full of fantasy, devised for enjoyment and playfulness immersed in the atmosphere of an eighteenth century palace, but also an artistic occasion of excellence, an exclusive mundane appointment and an evening in which the five senses are inebriated culminating in total pleasure, personifying the quintessence of art and of the art of living.
In the fabulous backdrop of Palazzo Pisani Moretta, ready for the 23rd edition, the magic of Antonia Sautter will take place for one night only : with lighted torches and fire glowers, enchanted by the music, everyone feels like princes in a world of fantasy, in a fantastic alchemy of extraordinary shows, incredible artists and sublime banquets prepared by refined chefs.
For information and bookings: Il ballo del Doge
February 7th
The flight of the eagle
The revival of the flight of the angel but a week later.
It takes place at 12:00 in Saint Mark’s Square and the identity of the person who descends from the bell tower is unveiled by the organizers just before the event.
February 9
Svolo del leon e premiazione delle Marie
To mark the end of the Carnival of Venice the symbol of the city, the winged lion of St. Mark painted on a large canvas is driven down to 17.00 from the bell tower to the square.
Shortly before, The award ceremony for the 2016 winning “Maria” which will be staged in San Marco Square, where the 12 Marie will arrive by boat, leaving from Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio.
But the Venice Carnival is also about going around having a good fun just by simply looking at the beautiful display of masks and costumes, of eating Cicchetti while sipping on an Ombra or munching away on the typical cakes with some hot chocolate and just going around having a good time!
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