A Tuscan seaside destination with golden sands, Viareggio is known as the home of Carnival and has a rich programme of 2025 events.
Allegorical floats along the seafront
From 8 February to 4 March 2025, the carnival in Viareggio lasts for a month, with masked parades, shows, exhibitions, parties and vigils. Gigantic allegorical papier-mâché works created by Viareggio artists make their way through the crowds accompanied by figures who, on targeted soundtracks, contribute to the narration of the theme chosen by the artist.
Six exciting masked parades
There are six Masked Parades scheduled, day and night. On Saturday 8 February, following the opening ceremony and flag-raising at 3 p.m., the first float will parade at 5 p.m., ending the day with a fireworks display. On Sunday 16, the parade will be at 3 p.m., while on 22 and 27 the floats are planned for the evening, at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The penultimate event will be on Sunday 2 March at 3 pm, while on Shrove Tuesday, 4 March, the sixth Masked Parade will close the parade programme together with an award ceremony and fireworks display.
Political and literary figures on the floats
Since 1873, the characters of the floats have been enchanting, telling the story of every era through the satirical and metaphorical language typical of Carnival. Italian and non-Italian characters, emblems of a frenetic contemporaneity world full of contradictions on which the artists invite us to reflect, are in position on the floats and inspiration is also drawn from international literature such as Frankenstein, The Little Prince or The Lord of the Rings. But Viareggio’s Carnival is not just floats, at weekends the Feste Rionali enliven the neighbourhoods with music, traditional dinners, and events for children, including a kid's singing talent contest, and the Carnival evenings also feature concerts, masked balls in prestigious locations and theatre shows.
