Despite the particular period, Venice will be colored by a lot of interesting events during this Carnival 2022. Don’t forget the first rule of Carnival: wear a themed accessory that refers to the period as you walk through the streets.
Long-awaited, a few days ago, the program of the Venice Carnival 2022 finally came out.
As widely announced, there will not be some of the events that have characterized the last few years.
Sad part: Canceled events:
The “Festa veneziana” in the Cannaregio river on Saturday evening and the water parade in the Grand Canal on Sunday morning
The large animated boxes of Piazza San Marco and Piazza Ferretto
The Marie and del Toro processions
The flights of the Angel, of the Eagle, and the flight of the Leon
The parades of allegorical floats in Lido, Marghera, Campalto, Zelarino, Pellestrina and Burano
I already hear someone asking: eh but then, what is left?
First of all, I would say that there is the spirit of Carnival and it already seems a lot to me. Of course, it is weakened by the fact that in recent years this event has been characterized by moments designed perhaps more for visitors than for citizens. Here, then, citizens have the opportunity to recover a little from the Carnival, walking around with masks, cooking and eating frittelle and galani, organizing moments of conviviality while respecting the rules imposed by this historical moment.
The Carnival will begin on Saturday 12 February and will end on 1 March 2022. For those wishing to come to the city to see masks and maybe even photograph them, we know that the key weekend will be the weekend of 26 and 27 February.
Disclaimer: This article will not cover all the Carnival events. For that, I refer you to the official website of the Venice Carnival where you can find all the information.
Carnival Theme 2022
The theme chosen for this year’s Carnival is Remember the Future: this title comes from a quote by Salvador Dalì “And most of all I remember the future.”
“Walking through Venice, even with a specific destination, one is forced to constantly change direction, the alley ends in a turning; behind one turning point a surprise, often a marvel, almost always a future. For the theme of this year’s Venice Carnival, I thought about our future, the future that this city full of the past unleashes in those who live it. It is, truly, a place in constant contradiction, where dreams and reality merge”–
Ready to start?
Nebula Solaris
Arsenale and its large spaces are the protagonists of the show on the water thanks to the performances of Opera Fiammae and Viorica. Water and fire, tradition, and technology will be the ingredients of this show which through a dream narrative with the elements of air, earth, water, and fire creates imaginative visions of submerged worlds and future civilizations.
When: Shows on Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 February and from Thursday 24 February to Tuesday 1 March with two daily performances at 6.45 pm and 9.15 pm.
Reservation mandatory at Carnevale di Venezia.
Venezia Wonder time! Performing art in the city
The carnival will go along the streets and squares of Venice and Mestre.
During the weekends of the Carnival, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 February, and on the days of the fat week from Thursday 24 February to Tuesday 1 March, a widespread program of permanent performances of music, circus-theater, puppets is staged, acrobatics and clowning.
The shows will be staged from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm and from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Other days in the afternoon from 3 to 7 pm. Free access without reservations.
Where will the shows take place?
Venice
Campo Santa Margherita, Campo San Giacomo, Esedra-Castello, Campo San Geremia, Campo San Cassiano, Campo dei Gesuiti, Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Sant’Elena.
Mestre:
Piazza Ferretto, Largo Divisione Julia, Piazzale Donatori di Sangue, via Mestrina, via Palazzo.
Carnival balls
The most anticipated dance is the Ballo del Doge by Antonia Sauter which will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at Palazzo Pisani Moretta.
At Ca ‘Sagredo, in collaboration with Atelier Nicolao, another interesting event will take place: The chocolate show “I baci di Dama” on February 17, 22 and 24. Chocolate and “Baci di dama” will be made by a pastry chef while two dance masters will teach the basic steps of the dances of the time.
At the Ca ‘di Dio hotel, on February 28, in collaboration with the Atelier Pietro Longhi, “Chocolate from Atelier Pietro Longhi” will take place. The discovery of the hotel and the traditions of the Carnival will be “guided” by Jacopo Sansovino. Reservation is required and also the Carnival costume.
During these events, it is necessary to wear a period costume but do not worry that there are specific agreements with the most important ateliers.
Credit Atelier Nicolao
Carnival Theme Exhibition
Do you want to see the wonderful Carnival dresses up close? From Sunday 20 February to 1 March, from 11 to 17, the collection of period clothes entitled Stories of Fashion opens to the public at the Scuola Grande dei Carmini.
Twenty reproductions of period clothing were made by the Atelier Pietro Longhi in the person of Francesco Briggi. The program is curated by Raffaele Dessì.
Info and reservations +39 328 970 6572.
The Tfondaco instead welcomes the inventions of Lucio Schiavon “Carnival of Illusions” where “the boundaries between mask and face fall, between fun and pure madness.
Only color, fun, and madness.
In Mestre, in the cloister of the M9 museum, you will find “Rossana Molinatti: the art of wearing art“: the exhibition is dedicated to the incredible creations of the designer Rossana Molinatti. Twelve costumes that evoke famous paintings by great artists in their fabrics and patterns: from the well-known kiss by Gustav Klimt to the scream of Edvard Munch, passing through Edgar Degas’ ‘Dance Lesson’. Precious carnival masks were created by hand and defined by the author as “tableaux vivants”, precisely because they are worn by herself in the streets of Venice on the occasion of Carnival. The exhibition is open to the public on February12,13,19 and 20 and then from February 24 to March 1 from 16 to 19 and on Sunday morning also from 11 to 13.
Who you want to learn how masks are made?
Have you ever wondered how Carnival masks are born? The Ca ‘Macana Atelier proposes the presentation “The Carnival of the Serenissima Republic” with a presentation of the Carnival traditions and a practical demonstration of the creation of the Venetian papier-mâché mask.
The event takes place every day at different times and also in English.
Participation in the event is free with reservations to be made on the Carnival website.
Civic Museums Open until 10 pm
More time to enjoy art, museums open until 10 pm from 18 February to 1 March. These are the museums that will join: Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Ca ‘Rezzonico, Palazzo Mocenigo and Casa di Carlo Goldoni. For all information, the reference is the site of the Civic Museums.
I have tried to put all the main events but if there are other things to report, for sure they will enter here.
Oh please: put on the Carnival Mask and start enjoying the days.
Do you want to discover the other events that will take place in Venice in 2022? I’ll tell you about it in my post dedicated to the topic.