In the months leading up to it, groups of participants and the papier-mâché mask artisans, called mascareri in Venice, work hard to ensure everything is ready for the grand event, which lasts about ten days and features events, shows, and musical parades throughout the sestieri, encouraging visits even to the less frequented areas.
The first Sunday of Carnival is dedicated to costume parades and traditional festivities, both on the mainland and in the lagoon. The official meeting point is at 11 AM at Rio di Cannaregio, where the Venetian Festival begins, with a lively regatta of rowing society boats (around one hundred boats and 500 rowers), banquets, and food stalls offering typical dishes from popular tradition.
At noon sharp, everyone gathers in St. Mark’s Square looking up, so as not to miss the magical Flight of the Angel: a jet-set figure descends suspended by a rope from the bell tower to the square, accompanied by the historical procession of the Doge and the Dogaressa.
The afternoon is dedicated to the Festival of the Maries, with seven beautiful Venetian girls who parade carried on the shoulders of young men in historical costumes from San Pietro in Castello to St. Mark’s Square.
