The Best Costumes of Venice Carnival 2024
Carnival in Venice is a big deal. Like true Italians, they are quite proud of their world famous tradition. And for good reason: Venice is an all-year round showstopping destination. Imagine romantic canals, charming little streets where you can (and will) get lost without even trying and over 400 bridges with the most scenic views.
Honestly, it’s no wonder Venice and the lagoon islands are UNESCO World Heritage.
With this year’s theme “Ad Oriente. The amazing journey of Marco Polo”, the Venice Carnival is celebrating the 700th anniversary of one of the most world famous travelers of all time. The travel theme is reflected all over Venice in the hundreds of mysterious figures floating around the city in the most extravagant masks and costumes.
Wherever you go, the public toilet or waiting for the next Vaporetti, it’s impossible not to bump into a masked person this time of year. The abundance of randomly dressed up people around the city gives Venice an even more melancholic vibe that’s simply unbeatable.
WHY VENETIANS WEAR MASKS
The history behind the masks is quite vague, but it is said to date back to the 13th Century, where people actually used masks to hide their identities to either protect themselves form their social class, to do some shady business or as for entertainment purposes.
Some masks like the ‘Bauta’ were designed for anonymous voting in politics, while others like the ‘Colombina’ (used in the ‘Commedia de’ll Arte ' of the Comedy of Art) was mainly used by actresses so only half her face would be covered.
Medico della Peste
The most famous Venetian masquerade is ‘The Plague Doctor’, which started out as a mask for medics during the plague to prevent disease from spreading. No one at the time had any idea this would turn out to be one of the most famous Carnival outfits in Venice and beyond.
Venetians take their masks very seriously: there is even an annual Best Mask Contest on Saint Marks Square. While trying to avoid the big crowds, we decided to hold our own Venetian best mask costumes contest.
THE BEST MASKS & COSTUMES OF VENICE CARNIVAL 2024
Related Posts:
Follow our adventures on YouTube for more tips and inspiration
Have you ever been to the Venice Carnival? Share your experiences in the comments!
*by purchasing through us we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only feature products that we believe in and use ourselves.
