Because of the crowds over the carnival weekend, Venice is taking countermeasures. In order to avoid tourist traffic jams in the calli, the narrow streets that lead to St. Mark’s Square, the city police take appropriate measures. One-way regulations were set up to avoid excessive crowds on the streets.
According to the authorities, 100,000 people flocked to Venice on Saturday. It’s not the first time that Venice has tried to make arrangements to channel the crowds at major events, such as New Year’s Eve or the Redentore water festival in July. The tourism industry is happy about the good weather forecast and mild temperatures. Many tourists reached the lagoon city by train, which was welcomed by the city administration.
There was a dense crowd in the squares where the Venetians held parties and balls in their traditional carnival costumes. In Venice, the “classic” masks and motifs of the 17th century once again predominated, often “products of high tailoring”, as a Venetian woman proudly said. Among them, for example, the colorful Arlecchino, the devious villain Brighella or the “dottore”, the plague doctor with the beaked nose.
Festivals were mainly held in the palazzi this season. For the first time since 2019, the carnival will take place without corona restrictions. In 2020 it was canceled entirely due to the pandemic.
The Venice Carnival was first mentioned in 1094. At the end of the 18th century, Napoleon conquered the republic. In exchange for northern Italian Lombardy, he handed it over to Austria. The associated changes brought the carnival to a standstill. It was not until 1979 that theater people, sculptors and painters brought it back to life. Artistic masks, elaborate costumes and magnificent balls characterize the image of the lagoon city every year. The festival ends with a big fireworks display.