Festa della Salute 2026 will take place on Saturday, November 21, 2026, in the beautiful and timeless city of Venice. This event – formally known as the Festa della Madonna della Salute – is one of the city’s most treasured traditions, a ritual of gratitude and hope that unites Venetians and pilgrims each year. On this annual feast day, thousands make their way to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, crossing a specially constructed votive bridge spanning the Grand Canal, to offer prayers of thanks and seek ongoing protection for their city, their loved ones, and their health. While perhaps less flamboyant than the famed Carnival or regattas, Festa della Salute carries a weight of history, memory, and communal devotion that resonates deeply with anyone who experiences it. What is Festa della Salute 2026? Date & Significance Festa della Salute is celebrated every year on November 21, the liturgical feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 2026, November 21 falls on a Saturday, giving the city’s residents and visitors a weekend opportunity to take part in the ceremonies and pilgrimage. The event centers on the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, built as a Read more [...]
All Traditional Festivals
Carnival of Venice 2027 – Dates, Events & Complete Travel Guide
The Carnival of Venice 2027 (Carnevale di Venezia 2027) is officially scheduled to take place in Venice, from January 23 to February 9, 2027. The Carnival of Venice is one of the oldest and most internationally recognized cultural festivals in the world, rooted in centuries-old Venetian tradition with public spectacles, masked parades, historical pageantry, and a schedule of events designed to animate the entire city. During the festival period, Venice’s principal public spaces – especially St Mark’s Square – transform into stages for street performances, costume exhibitions, and live music. Traditional Venetian masks and period costumes are worn by thousands of participants and visitors, reinforcing the visual identity of the Carnival as a celebration of history and craftsmanship. Key elements of the Carnival program typically include a series of scheduled events such as the Official Dinner Show, Festa delle Marie, and the Best Mask Contest. Venice’s canals and bridges become active venues for festive processions, and the festival’s calendar is structured to offer both free public events and ticketed cultural experiences. Many of the signature celebrations leverage Venice’s historic architecture and waterways, creating a multi-site experience that spreads from central squares to island locations during peak days of the Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Festa delle Marie 2027 - 23 January 2027
Festa delle Marie 2027 will be one of the most important historical celebrations within the Venice Carnival 2027, scheduled from January 23 to February 9. The event brings an old Venetian tradition into the modern Carnival through ceremonies, historical costumes, public appearances, and twelve young women chosen as the Marie. The celebration is more than a costume parade or competition. Its roots are connected with medieval marriage customs, devotion to the Virgin Mary, and the support offered to young brides from poorer families. Over time, these elements developed into a major religious and civic festival involving different parts of Venetian society. In its contemporary form, twelve young women are selected to represent the Marie throughout Carnival. They attend official ceremonies, cultural activities, and public events while wearing elaborate historical Venetian costumes, creating a direct visual connection between today’s festivities and traditions associated with the former Republic of Venice. The modern Festa unfolds through several clearly defined stages, beginning with the selection of the twelve Marie and continuing with the vestizione, public appearances, the election of the Maria of the Year, and the final presentation of the winner in Piazza San Marco on Shrove Tuesday. What Is the Schedule for Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Festa delle Marie 2027 - 30 January 2027
Festa delle Marie 2027 will be one of the most important historical celebrations within the Venice Carnival 2027, scheduled from January 23 to February 9. The event brings an old Venetian tradition into the modern Carnival through ceremonies, historical costumes, public appearances, and twelve young women chosen as the Marie. The celebration is more than a costume parade or competition. Its roots are connected with medieval marriage customs, devotion to the Virgin Mary, and the support offered to young brides from poorer families. Over time, these elements developed into a major religious and civic festival involving different parts of Venetian society. In its contemporary form, twelve young women are selected to represent the Marie throughout Carnival. They attend official ceremonies, cultural activities, and public events while wearing elaborate historical Venetian costumes, creating a direct visual connection between today’s festivities and traditions associated with the former Republic of Venice. The modern Festa unfolds through several clearly defined stages, beginning with the selection of the twelve Marie and continuing with the vestizione, public appearances, the election of the Maria of the Year, and the final presentation of the winner in Piazza San Marco on Shrove Tuesday. What Is the Schedule for Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 30 January 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Carnival of Acireale 2027 – Dates, Parades, Floats & Travel Guide
The Carnival of Acireale 2027 will take place in Acireale, Sicily, from Sunday, January 31, to Sunday, February 14, 2027. The celebration transforms the historic centre into a large open-air stage dominated by monumental papier-mâché floats, mechanical figures, satire, music, lights, costumes, and public entertainment. Acireale’s winter carnival is particularly famous for its allegorical-grotesque floats, enormous creations built by specialised local craftsmen using papier-mâché, painting, mechanical systems, lighting, and sound. Their subjects frequently reinterpret contemporary politics, popular culture, social issues, and public figures through caricature, exaggeration, humour, and carefully constructed visual narratives. The floats are accompanied by individual masks, costumed groups, performers, music, and other activities spread through the central streets. The combination of moving sculptures and the city’s Sicilian Baroque architecture gives Acireale a visual character substantially different from carnivals based primarily on masks, balls, or static historical processions. Flower-covered floats also have a long history in Acireale, originating from decorated vehicles introduced during the 20th century. Today, however, the principal flower-float programme belongs to the separate Festa dei Fiori, held in spring, while the winter carnival concentrates primarily on the spectacular allegorical-grotesque papier-mâché creations. The event is deeply connected with local craftsmanship. Float construction involves sculpture, clay modelling, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 31 January 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 4 February 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 5 February 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 6 February 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 7 February 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Festa delle Marie 2027 - 8 February 2027
Festa delle Marie 2027 will be one of the most important historical celebrations within the Venice Carnival 2027, scheduled from January 23 to February 9. The event brings an old Venetian tradition into the modern Carnival through ceremonies, historical costumes, public appearances, and twelve young women chosen as the Marie. The celebration is more than a costume parade or competition. Its roots are connected with medieval marriage customs, devotion to the Virgin Mary, and the support offered to young brides from poorer families. Over time, these elements developed into a major religious and civic festival involving different parts of Venetian society. In its contemporary form, twelve young women are selected to represent the Marie throughout Carnival. They attend official ceremonies, cultural activities, and public events while wearing elaborate historical Venetian costumes, creating a direct visual connection between today’s festivities and traditions associated with the former Republic of Venice. The modern Festa unfolds through several clearly defined stages, beginning with the selection of the twelve Marie and continuing with the vestizione, public appearances, the election of the Maria of the Year, and the final presentation of the winner in Piazza San Marco on Shrove Tuesday. What Is the Schedule for Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 8 February 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Festa delle Marie 2027 - 9 February 2027
Festa delle Marie 2027 will be one of the most important historical celebrations within the Venice Carnival 2027, scheduled from January 23 to February 9. The event brings an old Venetian tradition into the modern Carnival through ceremonies, historical costumes, public appearances, and twelve young women chosen as the Marie. The celebration is more than a costume parade or competition. Its roots are connected with medieval marriage customs, devotion to the Virgin Mary, and the support offered to young brides from poorer families. Over time, these elements developed into a major religious and civic festival involving different parts of Venetian society. In its contemporary form, twelve young women are selected to represent the Marie throughout Carnival. They attend official ceremonies, cultural activities, and public events while wearing elaborate historical Venetian costumes, creating a direct visual connection between today’s festivities and traditions associated with the former Republic of Venice. The modern Festa unfolds through several clearly defined stages, beginning with the selection of the twelve Marie and continuing with the vestizione, public appearances, the election of the Maria of the Year, and the final presentation of the winner in Piazza San Marco on Shrove Tuesday. What Is the Schedule for Read more [...]
Venice Carnival Official Dinner Show 2027 - 9 February 2027
Buy tickets:VivaTicket The Official Dinner Show 2027 is one of the principal ticketed evening experiences of the Venice Carnival 2027. The event takes place inside Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace overlooking the Grand Canal, combining a formal dinner with live entertainment in one of Venice‘s most historically important private residences. The event is organized as an immersive Carnival evening rather than a conventional restaurant dinner. Guests enter the decorated rooms of the palace in period costumes and masks, becoming part of an environment created around Venetian Carnival traditions, theatrical entertainment, music, performance, and dining. For the 2027 edition, the program combines a menu prepared by the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant with live music, dancers, acrobats, magic, fakir performances, and tarot readings. The entertainment continues later in the evening with a DJ set, extending the event beyond the dinner itself. Ca’ Vendramin Calergi adds an important historical dimension to the experience. Built at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace later became associated with several Venetian families, the composer Richard Wagner, and the Casinò di Venezia. Today, its Grand Canal rooms provide the setting for the official Carnival dinner. Unlike many public Carnival activities in Venice, Read more [...]
Calendimaggio 2027 – Medieval Spring Festival in Assisi
Calendimaggio 2027 is expected to take place from Wednesday, May 5, to Saturday, May 8, 2027, in Assisi, the historic Umbrian town built on the slopes of Mount Subasio. The dates follow the established scheduling rule used for the annual four-day festival. For four days, the historic center becomes the setting for medieval processions, music, theatrical scenes, competitions, and ceremonies involving hundreds of local participants. Streets and squares are decorated with banners, shields, flags, flowers, torches, and other elements inspired by medieval Assisi. At the center of the festival is the rivalry between the Nobilissima Parte de Sopra and the Magnifica Parte de Sotto, the two traditional divisions of Assisi. Each Parte prepares its own historical reconstructions, processions, costumes, music, performances, and competitive events throughout the year. The objective is the Palio of Calendimaggio, awarded at the end of the festival after the performances of the two Parti are evaluated. The competition encompasses historical reconstruction, music, and theatrical presentation, transforming the festival into much more than a conventional medieval parade. Calendimaggio draws on several layers of Assisi’s cultural history: ancient celebrations of spring, medieval May songs, the political divisions of the city during the fourteenth century, and a modern festival Read more [...]
Infiorata di Noto 2027 – Sicily’s Baroque Flower Festival
Infiorata di Noto 2027, the 48th edition of one of Sicily’s best-known flower festivals, will take place from Friday, May 14, to Tuesday, May 18, 2027, in the historic center of Noto. The principal floral carpet will once again occupy the sloping Via Corrado Nicolaci. For several days, the street is transformed through large compositions made from flower petals and other plant materials. Artists work from previously selected designs, transferring their drawings onto the paving before filling the different areas with carefully arranged natural materials organized according to color, texture, and the requirements of each composition. The 48th edition will have a specific international historical theme. As part of Millenium 2027 – European Year of the Normans, the floral works will focus on the Norman history of Sicily and on the European territories that share elements of this medieval heritage. The designs are expected to explore aspects of the Norman period in Sicily, including historical personalities, monuments, decorative motifs, and the cultural interaction between Latin, Byzantine, Arab, and Jewish traditions. The project places the Noto event within a wider European program dedicated to Norman history and its legacy. The flower festival is traditionally one of the central events of Noto’s Read more [...]
Palio di Siena 2027 – Dates, Traditions and Travel Guide - 2 July 2027
Palio di Siena 2027 will take place twice during the summer, on Friday, July 2, and Monday, August 16, following the traditional calendar established for Siena‘s two ordinary annual Palii. Both horse races are held in Piazza del Campo, at the center of Siena’s UNESCO-listed historic district. The July race is the Palio di Provenzano, dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano, whose image is venerated in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Provenzano. The August race is the Palio dell’Assunta, associated with the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, historically central to Siena’s religious identity. Only ten of Siena’s seventeen Contrade compete in each race. The horses are assigned by lot three days beforehand, while every Contrada independently chooses its jockey. The race itself consists of three circuits of Piazza del Campo, covering approximately one kilometer on a specially prepared track. The Palio is organized by the Municipality of Siena, but its meaning extends far beyond race day. Contrade function throughout the year as territorial communities with elected institutions, museums, oratories, meeting places, ceremonies, celebrations, rivalries, and social activities that remain integral to everyday Sienese life. When Will Palio di Siena 2027 Take Place? The first race of 2027, the Read more [...]
Palio di Siena 2027 – Dates, Traditions and Travel Guide - 16 August 2027
Palio di Siena 2027 will take place twice during the summer, on Friday, July 2, and Monday, August 16, following the traditional calendar established for Siena‘s two ordinary annual Palii. Both horse races are held in Piazza del Campo, at the center of Siena’s UNESCO-listed historic district. The July race is the Palio di Provenzano, dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano, whose image is venerated in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Provenzano. The August race is the Palio dell’Assunta, associated with the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, historically central to Siena’s religious identity. Only ten of Siena’s seventeen Contrade compete in each race. The horses are assigned by lot three days beforehand, while every Contrada independently chooses its jockey. The race itself consists of three circuits of Piazza del Campo, covering approximately one kilometer on a specially prepared track. The Palio is organized by the Municipality of Siena, but its meaning extends far beyond race day. Contrade function throughout the year as territorial communities with elected institutions, museums, oratories, meeting places, ceremonies, celebrations, rivalries, and social activities that remain integral to everyday Sienese life. When Will Palio di Siena 2027 Take Place? The first race of 2027, the Read more [...]
