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Overview
The Viareggio Carnival returns in grand style from January 31 to February 21. Get ready for an entire month of celebrations following the hopes, desires, and reflections that the artists of Carnival 2026 will interpret in the form of large papier-mâché creations.
It was February 1873 when, at the tables of the Casino café, among the young elite of Viareggio at the time, the idea of a carriage parade to celebrate Carnival outdoors, in the square, among the people, was born. This marked the beginning of the Viareggio Carnival, which has since drawn thousands of enthusiasts from all over Italy to the city of Versilia every year.
The undisputed stars are the allegorical papier-mâché floats: the largest in the world, moving thanks to ingenious mechanisms and brought to life by music and the dances of hundreds of masked performers.
The floats caricature figures from politics, culture, and entertainment: with satire and irony, the Viareggio Carnival tackles the hottest topics of the moment and laughs at them. There is no Italian public figure who has not been mocked by the Viareggio float builders.
For a month and on Fat Tuesday, the floats parade among the masked crowd along the seaside promenade: a boulevard over three kilometers long that stretches between the beach and the stunning Art Nouveau buildings.
But Carnival is a fever that infects the entire city and is not limited to Sunday parades. On weekend evenings, and beyond, Viareggio’s neighborhoods – the districts – come alive with large outdoor parties: music, dancing, and costumes fill the streets closed to traffic until late at night. Outdoor restaurants offer Viareggio specialties based on fresh fish, while street corners host stages with bands and DJs, all strictly in costume.
When the neighborhood festivities end, night owls who want to dance until dawn have plenty of options: Versilia’s clubs and venues compete to organize masked balls with music and dancing until morning.
To find out the access details and ticket prices for the event, check the official website.
To find out the access details and ticket prices for the event, check the official website.
55049 Viareggio LU, Italia
