From 31 January to 17 February 2026 Venice returns to wear its most scenographic face to become a stage suspended between myth, ritual and wonder. The 2026 edition of the Carnival, entitled “Olympus. At the origins of the game”, dialogues with the Olympic year and intertwines classical mythology, performing arts and gaming culture in a choral narrative that will cross streets, fields, canals and islands of the lagoon.
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The 2026 Venice Carnival will feature parades, masks and a constellation of monumental shows, immersive dinners and activities also designed for families and children, called to actively participate in a party that aims to reward and focus on creativity, imagination and the possibility of interacting with others.
Here’s what you can find in this year’s edition.
The Call of Olympia – Arsenale Water Show
Among the most anticipated events is the Call of Olympia, a large aquatic production set up in the Darsena Grande of the Arsenale. Here water becomes a scene, narrative material and symbolic mirror of an initiatory journey. The story revolves around Alvise the Fisherman, a human figure who aspires to the immortality of the gods and undertakes five trials punctuated by the elements, including epic confrontations, falls and rebirths.
The voice of Olympia intervenes to orient him, the muse of determination, an ethereal presence that guides the protagonist on an emotional and mythical journey. The show blends theatre, visual arts and physical performances in a wide-ranging scenic machine, capable of transforming the lagoon into a living story. A “total theater on water” that reflects on the sense of challenge and the value of peace as an authentic goal.
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The performances are held in double evening dates: at 6.45pm and 9pm, from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th February and then from Thursday 12th to Tuesday 17th February, the final day of the Carnival.
The Song of Ambrosia – Official Dinner Show
If the Arsenale dialogues with the epic, Ca’ Vendramin Calergi on the Grand Canal hosts Il Canto di Ambrosia, the official Dinner Show of the 2026 Carnival. Inside baroque rooms wrapped in velvet and golden reflections, the public will be dragged into a beautiful journey between Olympic sacredness and Venetian splendor.
Dinner and show intertwine in a single sensorial dramaturgy made of live music, dance, acrobatics, magic, fakirism and tarology. Over twenty international artists enliven the palace every evening with high-level stage numbers, while the chefs of the Wagner Restaurant offer a rich and original menu that dialogues with the mythological theme of the evening.
The artistic direction is entrusted to Massimo Checchetto, directed by Enrica Crivellaro and co-produced by Davide Agostini’s Liberi Di Physical Theater company. A Vela Spa production that transforms dinner into a performance ritual, closed by a DJ set capable of keeping the energy alive until late at night.
The appointments start on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th February and continue from Fat Thursday, 12th February, until Fat Tuesday, 17th February. All evenings start at 9pm.
In the video below, the presentation of last edition’s event:
Venice Carnival Street Show – Olympus!
Alongside the monumental events, the beating heart of Carnival beats in the streets with the Venice Carnival Street Show. The 2026 edition offers OLYMPUS! A large agora of games, a widespread event involving Venice, Mestre, the islands of the lagoon and the municipalities.
Over 350 street artists, 80 companies and around a thousand performances will liven up fields and squares with many different proposals, such as circus-theatre, clowning, parades and fantastic stories. The city is transformed into a labyrinth of imaginary paths that lead to a popular, accessible, playful Olympus, in which the public becomes an integral part of the show.
For children and families, these performances take the form of real itinerant fantasy workshops, made up of spontaneous interactions, creative tests, role plays and great general involvement, in order to stimulate imagination, collaboration and mutual listening.
ImproLocura – participatory street theatre
Among the proposals most suitable for children, ImproLocura by Collectif Primavez stands out, an interactive show in which mime, clowns and improvisation build the scene together with the spectators. Children and adults are invited to intervene, suggest, play and modify the progress of the show, generating comical situations, surreal rituals and ever-changing poetic moments.
Presented in 26 countries and 4 continents, ImproLocura speaks a universal language that overcomes cultural and linguistic barriers. For the young participants it becomes a living laboratory of bodily expressiveness, relationships and creativity, far from rigid patterns and close to the experience of shared play.
The most beautiful Mask – Piazza San Marco
The Most Beautiful Mask competition brings tradition back to center stage. Piazza San Marco becomes an open-air theater with daily parades that highlight the artisan excellence and inventiveness of the participants.
The heats begin on Saturday 31 January at 12.00 and continue in various time slots until Saturday 14 February. Each day elects a winner who advances to the final on Sunday 15 February at 4.30 pm, the culminating moment in which the best masks compete for the 2026 title.
Shrove Tuesday, February 17th, after the proclamation of the Mary of the Year, a special parade at 5pm closes the event with a final, evocative passage through the square.
Those who wish to participate can register directly at the desk next to the stage in Piazza San Marco, with reservations opening at 11.00 on the various days indicated in the official program.
A Carnival for all ages
The 2026 edition designs a layered Carnival: grandiose in shows, refined in artistic productions, inclusive in family activities. From large aquatic shows to street performances, from immersive dinners to improvised workshops in the fields, Venice ensures a choral experience that celebrates play as a universal language and challenge as a creative engine, therefore an experience truly suitable for families and children.
On the official website of the Venice Carnival you will find the complete program and you can book tickets for the various activities.
Happy Carnival!
