Carnevale, also known as carnival or mardi gras, is celebrated in Italy and many places around the world 40 days before Easter, a final party before Ash Wednesday and Lent. Carnevale is one of Italy's biggest festivals and events often last for two to three weeks before the actual carnival day. Many Italian towns celebrate carnevale the weekend before the actual carnival date, which is on Shrove Tuesday.
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Because the date of Easter changes yearly, so does the date for carnival festivals which can be anywhere from February 3 - March 9. Here are dates for the day of Carnevale in Italy. If you're planning to go to Italy for a carnevale celebration, especially in popular cities such as Venice and Viareggio, you'll need to make reservations up to a year ahead of time.
Note: Most places in Europe and around the world that hold carnival festivals will have the same dates.
Carnevale, or Carnival, Dates
- 2008 - Carnevale date - February 5
- 2009 - Carnevale date - February 24
- 2010 - Carnevale date - February 16
- 2011 - Carnevale date - March 8
- 2012 - Carnevale date - February 21
- 2013 - Carnevale date - February 12
- 2014 - Carnevale date - March 4
- 2015 - Carnevale date - February 17
- 2016 - Carnevale date - February 9
- 2017 - Carnevale date - February 28
- 2018 - Carnevale date - February 13
- 2019 - Carnevale date - March 5
- 2020 - Carnevale date - February 25
