When: From January 27 through February 13, 2018
Head to Venice during Carnevale di Venezia — a two-week celebration that turns this waterside city into a circus spectacular. What makes this party so magical that carnevale-goers wander around dressed in elaborate masks and clothing replicating nobility and attend masquerade balls and events including processions and a best masked costume competition.
The origins of this festival are said to date back to 1162 when Venice won a major victory over the Patriarch of Aquileia, and the locals gathered to celebrate and dance within San Marco Square. This occasion became a Venetian tradition that would continue on until being strictly forbidden in 1797. But luckily, it was fully restored in 1979.