Carnevale 2014 Begins tomorrow!

One of my favorite Carnevale events in Venice is the kick-off events held in Cannaregio Canal  on the first weekend of the Carnevale celebration.  It's focused on the residents, instead of the tourists. It's a party in the street, but on the canal instead. I love the local feel of it with all the simple homemade costumes and the huge boat parade down the canal. 

Tomorrow evening is a performance on the water. Last year this was a new event, put on by a French group of artists that was truly spectacular.  We'll have to wait to see how this compares to last year. 

Sunday afternoon is the main attraction - the Festa Veneziana.  It's a fantastic parade of boats up the canal with all the rowers in costume. The culmination is the raising of the pategana, a large rat, up out of the water. For a look at last year's event, check out my blog post: http://theveniceexperience.blogspot.it/2013/01/festa-veneziana-carnevale-kick-off-2013.html#sthash.QtC1gTQ7.dpbs

After the parade, there are food and drink booths lining both sides of the canal. This is where it becomes a big street party! Lots of fun, lots of cameraderie, lots of fritelle and lots of confetti!  

FYI- if you are trying to reach Murano or Burano islands either late tomorrow or Sunday, check on the vaporetto schedules as most of the Cannaregio canal will be closed during certain times for the celebration. 

                               

                                                            Buona Festa, tutti!

Fritelle + Confetti = CARNEVALE!

I know, my title today looks like a bit of really weird math. It is an equation, an equation for fun in Venice.

After taking down the Christmas decorations - and you know in Italy you don't take them down until January 6 which is Epiphany - it was a dreary January here in Venice. It rained. And then it rained some more. And then it kept on raining.  And then there was fog. Thick fog. The one thing we had to look forward to was the first sightings of fritelle to arrive in the bakeries around town. It was somewhere around mid January. The second you see the fritelle arriving, you know Carnevale isn't far behind.

 Fritelle are fried dough, with currents and pine nuts in the dough. They can be plain, rolled in sugar or stuffed with an assortment of goodies such as nutella, crema, zabaione, and ricotta.

The other harbinger of Carnevale that I look for is confetti on the streets. When I see the confetti, I know Carnevale is even closer. You an almost smell it in the air, it's that special. Confetti  has been spotted in several locations in the last couple of days, with lots of it in Campo Santa Margherita. I'm counting down days to Carnevale from here on in.

This year, Carnevale begins on February 15 and runs until March 4. The theme is Wonder and Fantasy Nature.  Join me through the whole month as I introduce you to Venetian masks and some of my favorite authentic mask makers around the city, costumes and some of the wonderfully talented people who make them, and the major activities of Carnevale taking place in and around  St. Mark's square.

To whet your appetite, here's a photo of one of my favorite costumes from Carnevale 2013.  I can't wait to see what's in store this year.

To learn more about this year's Carnevale program, check out the offical website at http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/index.php