Each edition of the Viareggio Carnival is unique and unrepeatable, featuring increasingly innovative and creative allegorical works and astonishing events. Every year, the program includes traditional events that captivate visitors.
Masked Courses are the main event of the Viareggio Carnival: this is the moment when the floats, created by artists, parade along the Viareggio promenade in all their grandeur. Each edition has six Masked Courses, some during the day and others at night. This is a unique moment for all visitors, where they can be amazed and engaged by these enormous works of art.
District Festivals are the most popular part of the Viareggio Carnival. Entire neighborhoods come alive with open-air nighttime celebrations where people can dance freely in masks and enjoy traditional Viareggio dishes (starting from 7 pm). District Festivals take place on the weekends of the Masked Courses. Additionally, some neighborhoods organize afternoon events for children.
The Carnival is an event for both young and old! For this reason, events, workshops, and games for children are organized not only in February but also throughout the year at the Cittadella. In these spaces, the youngest can connect with the history and traditional culture of the Carnival, as well as unleash their creativity, allowing room for imagination and manual work.
The extraordinary fireworks show enriches the Viareggio Carnival program, usually starting at the end of the first and last Corsi Mascherati. Symbolizing the ancient burning of King Carnival, fireworks in Viareggio have become a truly amazing spectacle eagerly awaited by the Carnival audience. The location for the pyrotechnic display is the beachfront area in front of Piazza Mazzini.
The nights of the Carnival month are filled with unique events: musical performances and concerts, as well as masquerade balls, are a crucial part of the Viareggio Carnival tradition, taking place in the city’s most prestigious historical venues and beloved dance halls. There are also dialectal theater performances presented by local companies.
Carnival and sports are a winning combination: every year, close to the Carnival, the Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament takes place. The Viareggio Tournament is an international football competition reserved for youth teams and organized by the Youth Football Center.
The first edition took place in 1949, and the chosen name was Carnival Cup, as the trophy on the line had Burlamacco on it, Viareggio’s official mask.
Over the years, the Viareggio Cup, reserved for Primavera formations of some Italian and foreign teams, has gained increasing importance in the football world, even internationally. In recent years, the Women’s Cup has also been organized.
Exhibitions and cultural events related to the Carnival are not lacking: themed exhibitions are set up at the Cittadella del Carnevale and in the historic palaces of the city.