Skip the free side of Venice Carnival and you've skipped most of what's actually worth seeing. On the first weekend, decorated boats move along the Cannaregio Canal in the Festa Veneziana sull'acqua, a floating parade you can watch for free from the canal banks. Over the next 18 days the city fills with masks. There are costumed photo calls in St Mark's Square and ticketed balls in palazzos along the Grand Canal. The crowds are real, and they gather most thickly around a handful of set pieces. Plan around those, and Carnevale di Venezia turns into one of the best-value winter trips in Italy. The show is free. Only the costume is optional. Here's how we'd approach Venice Carnival 2027.
When Is Venice Carnival in 2027?
Carnival always ends on Shrove Tuesday, the night before Ash Wednesday. In 2027 that falls on Tuesday 9 February, which is unusually early because Easter is on 28 March. The official Carnevale di Venezia event page gives Saturday 23 January as the opening day. That makes an 18-day run starting about a week earlier than the 2026 edition (eight days, to be exact), which ran from 31 January to 17 February and was also 18 days long.
You'll also see 30 January to 9 February 2027 repeated on a number of tourism sites. Both ranges agree on the closing night, so only the start date is in question. We'd go with the official page. If your trip depends on the opening weekend, check the date again once the full programme is out.
The 2026 Carnival's theme was “Olympus.” No theme has been announced for 2027 yet.
The Free Street Carnival
The free half of Carnival is the better half, and we'd plan most of a first visit around it. You don't need a ticket or a costume to see the city at its most theatrical. The exact 2027 day-by-day schedule is still to be confirmed, but the pattern below repeats every year.
If winter carnivals are your thing, Quebec's Winter Carnival runs on a similarly free-to-watch logic, just a lot colder.
Opening weekend
Start in Cannaregio. The Festa Veneziana sull'acqua is a parade of decorated boats along the Cannaregio Canal, and you don't need a ticket to watch it.
The headline spectacle is the Flight of the Angel (Volo dell'Angelo) in St Mark's Square on the opening Sunday, when a costumed figure traditionally descends on a cable from the Campanile, though the exact format has varied from year to year and hasn't been confirmed yet for 2027. If you've come for Venice Carnival without the crowds, this is the one moment you either commit to or skip. We'd skip it and save the square for a weekday.
Through the festival
St Mark's Square has free costume parades and photo calls almost constantly for the whole run. It's also the stage for the Most Beautiful Mask contest, which is judged in public with the grand final towards the end of Carnival. Watching is free.
If you'd like street performance with a neighbourhood feel, smaller squares such as Campo San Geremia and Santa Maria Formosa host free shows during Carnival. On a busy afternoon, these are the places we'd choose.
Masks, Costumes and the Grand Balls
How far in do you want to go? Masks and costumes in Venice cover a huge price range. Taking part instead of just watching can cost anything from about €24 to several thousand euros.
Workshops and experiences
We think most visitors get the best value in the mid-range. A mask-making workshop costs about €50 to €105 or more per person, and you take home a mask you made yourself. A costume dress-up experience starts from about €75. The cheapest option is a themed treasure hunt with mask painting, from about €24. For the water shows at the Arsenale, viewing platforms cost about €35 to €60.
The Official Dinner Show and the grand balls
The Carnival Official Dinner Show at Ca' Vendramin Calergi, the Casino on the Grand Canal, is the formal night with the clearest published details. It runs on several nights each edition. Period costume is mandatory, guests must be 18 or over, and tickets start from about €650 per person.
The grand masked balls are much harder to price. Named balls return every year, including Il Ballo del Doge, often described as the most prestigious, and the Ball of Dreams at Palazzo Zeno. The prices we found ranged from several hundred to several thousand euros per person depending on venue and package, and costume hire is often charged on top. Be wary of any single figure quoted as the price. Ask the organiser directly for the cost of the exact package you want.
Hiring a costume and buying a mask
Full costume rental starts from about €75. Pietro Longhi is one of the named rental ateliers. Banco Lotto N°10 is worth knowing about because its costumes are sewn by prisoners as part of a rehabilitation programme. Given the choice, that's where we'd rent.
A genuine artisan mask costs about €30 to €150 or more. Ca' Macanà and Ca' del Sol are two well-known mask workshops, and Tragicomica is another.
Where to Stay for Carnival
We'd stay in Dorsoduro if cost isn't the deciding factor. It's calmer in the evenings and sits near the Accademia Bridge, close enough to the main sights without putting you in the middle of them.
- San Marco. The most central area for festival sights, and also the busiest and most expensive during Carnival.
- Cannaregio. Good restaurants, easy access to the rail station, and home to the opening water parade.
- Dorsoduro. Our pick for a quieter base.
- Santa Croce. Handy for arriving and leaving, near the station and Piazzale Roma.
- Mestre. On the mainland and noticeably cheaper, at about €80 to €100 a night compared with €150 to €300 or more in the historic centre.
Mestre saves money, but it adds a daily commute into an event that's already crowded. We'd only choose it if the budget really requires it. Whichever area you pick, book as early as you can, because Carnival is one of Venice's most-booked periods of the year. If you're driving, note that private cars can't enter the historic centre. You'll need to park at Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto garage.
One Thing You Don't Need to Worry About
Venice's day-tripper access fee won't apply during Carnival in 2027. In mid-October 2026 the city council extended the fee to 72 days in 2027, up from 60. That window runs from Good Friday to mid-August, and Good Friday falls in late March, weeks after Carnival ends on 9 February. Some older coverage still mentions a rise to €30. You can ignore it. That increase was dropped for now, and the fee stays at €5 if you book four or more days ahead and €10 if you book later.
In a nutshell
- Carnival 2027 runs from Saturday 23 January to Shrove Tuesday, 9 February, per the official programme. Some sites list a 30 January start instead.
- No 2027 theme has been announced yet.
- The free side is the best side. That means the Cannaregio water parade, the costume parades in St Mark's Square, the neighbourhood street shows and the Most Beautiful Mask contest.
- The Flight of the Angel draws the opening Sunday crowd. Its exact format hasn't been confirmed yet for 2027.
- Mask-making workshops cost about €50 to €105 or more, and the Official Dinner Show starts from about €650.
- Grand ball prices vary widely by venue and package, so get a quote for the specific package you want.
- Buy masks from named workshops, not souvenir shops.
- The access fee doesn't apply during Carnival.
Planning the trip
Where do you start? With the dates, then somewhere to sleep. Confirm the opening day on the official Carnevale di Venezia page, and book your accommodation as soon as you've chosen an area.
We'd plan several free days around one paid experience, whether that's a mask-making workshop or the Dinner Show. A single paid night is enough for a first Carnival. Spend the rest of your time in the campos and along the canals.
If you'd like more on Italy beyond Carnival, our Italy fun facts guide is a lighter read before you go.
If your trip stretches beyond Venice, our guide to living like a local in Rome is worth bookmarking too.
Once you've settled your dates and your base, the Guided travel planning app is a practical place to build the trip day by day, from the opening water parade to Shrove Tuesday.
