Venice Carnival: the best pictures
Thousands took to the water this weekend as the centuries-old aquatic celebration gets under way
Revellers are flocking to Venice for two weeks of parties, fancy dress and light shows, after the city’s famed Carnival festivities kicked off on Saturday.
Spectators lined the Rio di Cannaregio, one of Venice’s most famous canals, as “elaborately decorated boats, accompanied by music, made their way down the waterway” this weekend, reports Reuters.
This year’s theme is Blame the Moon, a reference to both the 50th anniversary of man walking on the Moon and to Shakespeare’s play Othello, in which the heavenly body is blamed for driving men insane.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The carnival is continuing with events across Venice and on the surrounding islands, and culminates with a “most beautiful mask” competition that will be judged on 3 March, says news site The Local.
The world-famous festival is believed to date back to 1162, when residents of the city spontaneously gathered to celebrate a military victory in Saint Mark’s Square, now one of the city’s most famed tourist destinations.
It became an official event during the Renaissance, with the masks “allowing revellers to forget everyday worries and the city’s rigidly hierarchical class system, and indulge for the carnival period”, the site adds.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Netherlands split on WFH for sex workers
Speed Read Councils concerned over 'nuisance' of at-home sex work, but others say changes will curb underground sex trade
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'He adored Trump, and then rejected him'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published