March Festivals and Events in Venice

Carnevale and Lent can be one of the most exciting times to be in Venice. Travelers from all around the world crowd into Venice for Italy's most famous Carnival celebrations, which include masquerade balls, parades on both land and in the canals, food fairs, children's carnivals and numerous other activities. Events start several weeks before the actual date of Carnevale on Shrove Tuesday, culminating on Martedi Grasso, or Fat Tuesday. If you plan to visit for Carnevale, expect to pay a premium for your hotel and make your reservations well, well in advance.

March 8, International Women's Day, is known as Festa della Donna in Italy. It is often celebrated by groups of women leaving the men at home and going out to dinner together. So if you want to eat at a particular restaurant in Venice on March 8, it's a good idea to make a reservation in advance. Some restaurants serve a special menu on this day, too.

Tourists, rather than locals, tend to crowd Venice around Easter time. But that doesn't mean that you cannot take in some lovely pageants, classical music concerts, and Easter services in Venice during Holy Week. Visitors may also wish to attend mass in Saint Mark's Basilica on Easter. 

The Feast Day of Saint Joseph (the father of Jesus) is also known as Father's Day in Italy. Traditions on this day include children giving gifts to their fathers and the consumption of zeppole (a sweet, filled pastry, similar to a doughnut).

Because so much classical and opera music was written in or set in Venice, it's one of the great cities in Europe in which to see a performance. Venice's legendary opera house, La Fenice, stages performances year-round. If you're not ready to spend €100 or more on an opera or classical performance, there are less expensive performances in churches and music schools across the city. On Venice's busier streets, you'll encounter people in elaborate period costumes trying to sell you tickets to these performances. An evening spent at one of these concerts can be equally enchanting as a more costly performance.

As a city packed full of museums, theatres, bars, and performance and exhibit spaces, Venice presents an exciting cultural calendar that changes from year-to-year. VeneziaUnica is a good resource for finding of-the-moment concerts, events, and exhibits during your stay in the city.