Venice celebrates the Olympic year

The Venice Carnival 2026, scheduled from 31 January to 17 February, celebrates the Olympic year with a theme that intertwines history, art and sport, in a tribute to the universal power of play and challenge.

With the title 'Olympus - At the origins of the game / At the origins of the game', the idea is to refer to mythology and the harmony of body and mind, but also to the Venice of past centuries, where the Carnival was a great stage for competitions, acrobatic shows and collective skill trials, anticipating the spirit of the modern Olympics. From the 'forces of Hercules' to acrobatics, from regattas to tournaments in the calli and piazzas, the lagoon city knows how to turn competition into spectacle and challenge into celebration. Every place in the city - from the Arsenal to St. Mark's Square, from the Venetian campi to the islands and the mainland - will be part of a choral tale that will unite art, sport, myth, play and mask. For the entire duration of the event, the Venice Carnival Street Show will animate the calli and piazzas of Venice, Mestre and the islands, bringing celebration to every corner of the city. The parades of allegorical floats will return in a festive embrace between the historic city centre and the mainland. The great traditional events will complete the programme: the commedia dell'arte with international comedians, the Official Ball at Ca' Vendramin Calergi, the 12 Marys, cultural meetings, youth music at the Arsenale and at Forte Marghera, and the Carnivals of the World in St. Mark's Square, where cultures and customs will merge into one celebration. Enchanting the public will then be the great water show at the Arsenale, a symphony of dance, music and light.