Venice is an amazing city to visit, especially during festivals, such as Carnevale, which is held in February or March. Below are the highlights of each month in Venice.
Click on the month to see details of the events and others held during that month. You can also read our articles on When to go to Venice and the national holidays in Italy to help plan your visit.
January in Venice
January begins on New Years Day, a quiet day after the evening celebrations, and on January 6, Epiphany and the Befana are celebrated, as they are everywhere in Italy but with a unique twist, La Regatta delle Befane.
February in Venice
Events for Carnevale, Italy’s mardi gras, begin a couple of weeks before the actual Shrove Tuesday date, so a carnival theme dominates the city in February. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a kiss at one of these kissing spots in Venice.
March in Venice
Whether it’s Carnevale or Easter falls in March, so the celebrations revolve around these holidays. March 8 is Women’s Day, Festa della Donna and March 19 is Saint Joseph’s Day, also celebrated as Father’s Day in Italy.
April in Venice
Easter sometimes falls in April, but the most important day on the Venetian calendar is April 25, the day of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. Events include a gondolier regatta, commemorations at St. Mark’s Basilica, and festivities at St. Mark’s Square. On Saint Mark’s Day, men give their wives or girlfriends the “bocolo”, the flower of the red rose. April 25 is also Liberation Day, commemorating the liberation of Italy at the end of World War II.
May in Venice
May 1, Labor Day, is a national holiday when many people visit tourist destinations, making Venice very crowded, although some museums will be closed. The Festa della Sensa , which commemorates Venice’s marriage to the sea, takes place on the first Sunday after Ascension Day (40 days after Easter), followed by the Vogalonga rowing race, next weekend.
June in Venice
June 2 is a national holiday for Republic Day. In odd-numbered years, the Biennale Art Expo opens in June and near the beginning of summer, there is Art Night Venezia .
July in Venice
The biggest festival in July is the Festa del Redentore , which commemorates the end of the plague in 1576. Events center around the beautiful Redentore Church in Giudecca, designed by Palladio.
August in Venice
The traditional start of the Italian summer holidays is August 15, Ferragosto, and during this month there are concerts and movies in the open air. The famous Venice Film Festival usually starts at the end of the month.
September in Venice
September kicks off with the historic regatta, an exciting gondola race, and the Venice Film Festival is in full swing, so you may run into some celebrities.
October in Venice
The opera season at La Fenice usually starts in October and you will find some events and parties for Halloween at the end of the month.
November in Venice
November 1 is All Saints’ Day, a public holiday. La Festa della Salute , celebrated on November 21, is another great festival celebrating the end of the plague, this time in 1631.
December in Venice
The Christmas season begins on December 8, a national holiday, and throughout the month you will find Christmas markets and events, as well as Hanukkah events at the beginning of the month, mainly in the Jewish ghetto. The grand finale on New Year’s Eve takes place in Piazza San Marco, with a big group kiss followed by fireworks.
Updated by Martha Bakerjian.
