Venice starts the year with the Regata delle Befane (Race of witches); in February the great passion of Carnival begins: twelve days of folly all over the city. Once in a life you have to live it!. On 25th April, St. Mark's day, the patron saint of the city, and for the occasion men usually give a rosebud ("bòcolo") to their loved one; the second Sunday of May, the declaration of love is made to the city: it’s the feast of the "Sensa" (the Ascension), a procession of boats, Venice renews its rite of marriage to the sea, a tradition which goes back to 998.
But it is in July, on the third Saturday, il Redentore, the feast most loved by venetians, is celebrated: the Venetians, with their boats decorated with frills and coloured paper balloons and filled with traditional dishes, flasks of wine, and slices of water melon go slowly along the Giudecca canal as far as the basin of San Marco to dine, party together and watch, towards midnight, the firework display.
You have to wait until the first Sunday in September to see another popular festival, the "Historic Regatta" which has been held on the Canal Grande for more than 700 years. Lastly, on the 21st November, the city remembers the end of the plague of 1630 with the "Festa della Madonna della Salute", and its procession to the church of the same name (for the occasion a bridge of boats is made over the Canal Grande). The last feast of the year on the 13th December, Venice celebrates Santa Lucia, the protector of sight. The body of the saint is held in the church of St. Jeremiah, dedicated to her.
Venice offers a wide selection of hotels for every preferences and budgets. Find yours!
Do you want to see more fascinating places in Venice?
Getting around
Basilica of St. Marks
St. Marks square
The Bell Tower
The Palazzo Ducale