Venice International Film Festival Opens August 30

Venice's 63rd annual film festival opens with the world premier of Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia. The Venice Film Festival is one of the biggest international film festivals and includes films competing for the Golden Lion Award, screenings of out-of-competition films, short films, and new trends in cinema. This year's festival runs August 30-September 9 in three locations on the Venice Lido.

Venice also hosts one of the biggest September festivals in Italy, the Regatta Storica, historic boat race. The exciting races, where competitors race on Venice's Grand Canal in four categories, are preceded by a beautiful parade of boats along the Grand Canal. The Regatta Storica was started in 1315 and is one of Venice's most traditional celebrations. If you're traveling in Venice the first Sunday in September, you'll want to check out this festival.

Get the scoop on these festivals and see what other Italian celebrations September holds in store with our September Festivals in Italy.

Venice Travel Resources: Venice Travel Profile | Venice Pictures

^{Photo of Venice's Grand Canal © 2006 by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to about.com}