Venice Carnival 2027: Balls, Dates and Ticket Guide

Venice Carnival 2027 runs from Saturday 23 January to Tuesday 9 February 2027. Below are the confirmed ball dates, what each ticket costs as of September 2026, which events have not been announced yet, and how I work as a photographer during those eighteen days.

I live in Venice and I have been the official photographer of Il Ballo del Doge for more than ten years. Every date and price on this page was checked against the organisers’ own pages and ticket offices in August 2026 and rechecked on 7 September 2026. Where an event appears only on ticket platforms and not on the organiser’s site, I say so instead of presenting it as confirmed.

Table of Contents

• When is Venice Carnival 2027?
• What is the Venice Carnival 2027 theme?
• Il Ballo del Doge: the 34th edition, Saturday 6 February
• How much do the 2027 balls cost?
• Which ball is on which night?
• Which balls have not been announced yet?
• Where do you find a period costume in Venice?
• Can you book a photographer during Carnival 2027?
• The history of Venice Carnival
• Where to stay: hotels and planning
• Frequently asked questions

When is Venice Carnival 2027?

Venice Carnival 2027 runs from Saturday, January 23 to Tuesday, February 9, 2027. These dates come from two official sources that agree with each other: the Carnival’s own website and the Comune di Venezia, in its press release of 17 February 2026.

The days that decide your booking:

• Sat 23 – Sun 24 January: opening weekend.
• Thursday 4 February: Giovedì Grasso (Fat Thursday).
• Saturday 6 February: the night of the big balls. Il Ballo del Doge, Ballo Tiepolo and Carnival in Love are all dated 6 February — they run against each other, so you choose one.
• Tuesday 9 February: Martedì Grasso, the closing day.
• Saturday 13 February: one ball outlives Carnival — Minuetto d’Amore, €450, sold by its organiser as a Valentine’s evening. A single night, four days after the season has closed.
• 14 February: Valentine’s Day itself falls after Carnival. Apart from that one ball, do not book mid-February expecting masquerade events — the city is back to an ordinary winter.

What is not out yet. The institutional programme — the water parade, the Volo dell’Angelo, the Svolo del Leon — had not been published as of August 2026, and the city’s own ticket sales for the Arsenale shows were not open. Those parts go on this page as soon as they appear.

One correction worth making. Several travel sites give 30 January, or 24 January, as the start of Carnival 2027. They are either wrong or quoting the busiest weekend: the official sources agree on 23 January.

What is the Venice Carnival 2027 theme?

It has not been announced. As of early September 2026 there is still no official 2027 theme — not on the Carnival website, not from the Comune, not in the press.

Going by last year’s timing, the announcement should come around the end of October: the 2026 theme, “Olympus – At the Origins of the Game”, was made public on 24 October 2025.

Two things are already known, and they are the ones that affect a costume order:

• Il Ballo del Doge has not published its 2027 theme — “MOREAMORE” belonged to the 2026 edition and does not apply.
• Carnival in Love has: its 6 February ball runs as “Venetia Incantum”. It is the only 2027 ball with a declared theme so far.

Come back at the end of October and this section will carry the official theme. If you are having a costume made rather than rented, that announcement is the date on the calendar you actually need.

Il Ballo del Doge: the 34th edition, Saturday 6 February 2027

Il Ballo del Doge is on Saturday, 6 February 2027, in its XXXIV edition: the organiser’s own page confirms both. Vanity Fair called it “the most sumptuous and exclusive, famous and coveted social event in the world”.

What is confirmed, and what is not

• Date: Saturday 6 February 2027 — confirmed by the organiser.
• Dress code: full period costume, compulsory. Confirmed by the organiser.
• Theme: not announced as of August 2026.
• Venue: the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, as in 2026, is what the ticket platforms list — but the official site does not name it for 2027. Treat it as expected, not confirmed.

Ticket categories and prices (as of August 2026)

• Doge’s Imperial Table: €10,000
• Section Supreme: €7,000 — sold out
• Supreme Belvedere: €6,000
• Ticket A: sold out
• Ticket B: €4,000
• Ticket C: sold out
• Doge Lounge: €1,600
• After Dinner: €800

Read those sold-out labels carefully: three of the eight categories were already gone on 27 August 2026 — five months before the ball, and before the 2027 theme had even been announced. That is the strongest argument I can give you for booking early, and it applies to the costume atelier and to the photography as much as to the ticket.

The organiser’s page also states that the priority rates were valid until 30 June 2026 and “may be subject to change” after that date. The figures above are what was published in August 2026: check them again before you pay.

Official Il Ballo del Doge tickets

Official photography documentation

I have documented Il Ballo del Doge as its official photographer for more than ten years, and images from those nights have appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Elle, L’Officiel and Cosmopolitan.

The visionary: Antonia Sautter

Behind the ball stands Antonia Sautter, who turned a carnival party into an international institution. Her costumes appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”, and her atelier holds over 1,500 handcrafted period costumes.

How much do the 2027 balls cost?

Entry prices run from €390 for the opening ball on 23 January to €10,000 for the Doge’s Imperial Table. All figures below are the organisers’ published rates, checked in August 2026 and rechecked on 7 September 2026, and they can change — Il Ballo del Doge says so explicitly on its own page.

* Announced by ticket platforms; details to be confirmed by the organiser.

Two things the table cannot show. First, the Dinner Show price is what was on sale at the box office in August 2026: the official page still advertises “from €650”, while the tickets actually purchasable were €700 and €800. Second, the “from” prices at Ca’ Zen are described by the organiser as starting points, not fixed rates.

Attending one of these? Check my availability for your date →

Which ball is on which night?

Saturday 23 January — opening weekend

Un Ballo in Maschera — sold in English as “A Masked Ball” — Ridotto Ballrooms, Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, 20:00. €390 for the gala dinner and period ball. The organiser lists it as the opening ball of the season, and at €390 it is the cheapest ticket of the whole Carnival: worth knowing if the 6 February prices have put you off. Meeting Europe, the organiser. Beyond this, the opening weekend of 23–24 January belongs to the institutional programme, which had not been published as of September 2026.

Saturday 30 January — the first ball weekend

The Ball of Dreams — Palazzo Ca’ Zen ai Frari, 20:00. Entrance from €690, packages with costume from €1,390 (the organiser gives these as starting prices). It is the opening ball of the season, a week before the four-ball Saturday.
Ball of Dreams details and tickets

Carnival Official Dinner Show — Salone di Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, the Venice Casino, 21:00. The 2027 run is eight nights: 30 and 31 January, then 4 to 9 February. Prices on sale at the box office in August 2026: €700 (Thu 4 Feb, Tue 9 Feb) and €800 (Sat 30 Jan). Period costume is compulsory, and evening dress or black tie is explicitly not accepted.
Official Dinner Show tickets (Vivaticket)

Friday 5 February

Ball Minuetto — Ridotto Ballrooms, Hotel Monaco, 20:00. €430 entrance and dinner, €780 Silver, €930 Gold with costume included. For 2027 the format spreads over four evenings and the base ticket drops from €750 to €430.
Meeting Europe, the organiser

Sinfonie Veneziane — Palazzo Ca’ Zen ai Frari, €890. Announced by ticket platforms; details to be confirmed by the organiser.

The Glass Slippers — Murano, 19:00. The date is listed by an agency; the organiser’s own page still says “see you next year” and no 2027 price has been published.

Ballo Dalle Rose — also sold in English as “The Ball of the Roses” — Palazzo Rocca, on the Grand Canal, 19:30. €890, or €1,290 with the historical costume included. Cocktail reception, five-course dinner, musicians, singers and dancers, a video light show, and historical dancing led by dance masters. Now confirmed on the organiser’s own site, with prices — it was listed only by ticket platforms until September 2026. Essence of Venice Carnival, the organiser.

Saturday 6 February — the night

Everything converges here. Four balls on the same evening, and no way to attend two.

1. Il Ballo del Doge — XXXIV edition. Full period costume compulsory, €800 to €10,000, three categories already sold out in August 2026. Full details above.
2. Ballo Tiepolo — Ridotto Halls, Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal (Palazzo Dandolo), 20:00. €850 for the gala dinner, €1,200 Silver with a Standard costume included, €1,350 Gold with a Superior costume. In 2026 it was held on Fat Thursday; for 2027 it moves onto the main Saturday. Ballo Tiepolo details and tickets
3. Carnival in Love Grand Ball, “Venetia Incantum” — Palazzo Ca’ Zen ai Frari, aperitif 20:00, dinner 21:00. Entrance from €690, packages with costume from €1,490; the published variants run Silver Room €690, Royal €1,190, Luxury €1,590 and the Incantum package at €1,990, with a photocall add-on at €200. Carnival in Love details and tickets
4. Masquerade Grand Ball — Hotel Principe. Announced by ticket platforms; details to be confirmed by the organiser. Do not confuse it with the Gran Ballo Mascheranda at Palazzo Pisani Moretta, which is a different event and has no 2027 edition announced.

Sunday 7 to Tuesday 9 February — closing days

Minuetto 1800 — Ridotto Ballrooms, Hotel Monaco, 20:00, on the two Sundays: 31 January and 7 February. Same price structure as the Minuetto, €430 to €930.

Carnival Official Dinner Show — continues every night through Tuesday 9 February, the closing day. Tuesday 9 February was one of the two dates on sale at €700 in August 2026; by September all eight nights were on sale.

Essence of Carnival — Sunday 7 February, 13:00. €350, or €750 with the costume. A midday aperitif and lunch buffet with live music, then a gondola crossing to a Venetian landmark, where the guests form their own costume parade. It is the only daytime event on this page: every other entry here is an evening dinner indoors, and this is the one where the costumes end up outside, on the water, in daylight. Same organiser as the Ballo Dalle Rose, and the two are sold together with a hotel package covering 4–7 February. ⚠️ The organiser publishes neither the meeting point nor a dress code for this one — ask both when you book. Essence of Venice Carnival, the organiser.

Saturday 13 February — the one ball after Carnival

Minuetto d’Amore — Ridotto Ballrooms, Hotel Monaco, 20:00, €450. The organiser’s own 2027 programme lists it as a Valentine’s evening, four days after Martedì Grasso. It is the only costumed ball that outlives the season, and the reason not to write off mid-February altogether — but be clear about what you are buying: Carnival is over by then. No masks in the streets, no institutional programme, no other balls. Just this one night. Meeting Europe, the organiser.

Events on more than one night

• Carnival Extravaganza — Ridotto Ballrooms, Hotel Monaco, 20:00, €630. Two separate evenings rather than a run: Saturday 30 January and Thursday 4 February. Confirmed by the organiser.
• Gabrielli Opera Gala Dinner — Hotel Gabrielli, 30 January to 6 February. Announced by ticket platforms only; details to be confirmed by the organiser.

Which balls have not been announced yet?

These were part of the 2026 season and still had no 2027 edition confirmed by their organiser as of September 2026. I am listing them rather than dropping them, because they are the events people search for by name — and because “not yet” is a useful answer when you are deciding whether to wait.

• The Legend of Casanova (Hotel Saturnia) — in September 2026 one ticket platform began listing it for Saturday 6 February, while another still says “waiting for date 2027” and the organiser has confirmed nothing. Treat that date as provisional. ⚠️ The “from €380” still shown on some platforms is the 2026 price, not a 2027 rate.
• Venetian Reflections — waiting for a 2027 date. The venue changes every year (Palazzetto Pisani in 2024, Palazzo Labia in 2025, Ca’ Sagredo in 2026), so it cannot be guessed in advance.
• Don Giovanni in Venice — one ticket platform now lists Saturday 30 January at the Hotel Saturnia; another still shows no 2027 date, and the organiser has confirmed nothing. If you do book it, check which format you are buying: the same name has covered an opera dinner at Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto and a party at the Hotel Saturnia.
• La Cavalchina at La Fenice — the opera house ball is never announced before late autumn. Worth checking from November.
• Gran Ballo Mascheranda (Palazzo Pisani Moretta) — no trace of a 2027 edition, and its website is offline.

I re-check this list at the end of October, when the official programme and most of the remaining dates come out.

Where do you find a period costume in Venice?

The balls above are not fancy-dress parties: at Il Ballo del Doge and at the Official Dinner Show a full period costume is compulsory, and at the Dinner Show a tuxedo will not get you in. Do not use cheap tourist masks for these balls.

• Atelier Antonia Sautter: the creator of Il Ballo del Doge. Bespoke costumes.
• Nicolao Atelier: founded in 1980, makes costumes for opera and cinema.
• Meeting Europe: costume rental and events, and the organiser behind the Tiepolo and Minuetto balls.
• Sogno Veneziano Atelier: handcrafted costumes and masks.
• Ca’ del Sol: traditional masks and period costumes.
• Atelier La Bauta: masks and costumes made in Venice.

Some tickets include the costume: the Tiepolo Silver and Gold, the Minuetto Gold, and the packages at Ca’ Zen. Worth comparing against a separate rental before you book. If you are also planning a portrait session and are wondering what works in front of a camera in this city, I wrote a separate guide on what to wear for a photoshoot in Venice.

Can you book a photographer during Carnival 2027?

Yes — I keep one prime slot per day, from 23 January to 9 February 2027. One booking a day, for the whole eighteen days of Carnival. When your date is taken, it is taken.

✓ 40–60 professional photos   ✓ Hidden Venice locations   ✓ 48h photo preview   ✓ 500+ carnival sessions since 2013

Pre-event portrait sessions

Carnival puts extraordinary costumes into the most crowded streets of the Venetian winter, which is why I schedule portrait sessions before the ball rather than during it:

• St Mark’s Square at dawn: golden morning light, before the crowds arrive.
• The Doge’s Palace courtyard: historic settings that suit a period costume.
• The Bridge of Sighs and the quieter gardens: for couples, away from the main flow.

Sessions, timing and prices are on my Venice Carnival photoshoot page.

The history of Venice Carnival

Venice Carnival traces its origins to 1092. The 18th century was its golden age, the Venice of Casanova. Napoleon suppressed it in 1797; it was revived in 1979 and today draws around three million visitors a year. The balls listed above are the part of the season that reconstructs that 18th century rather than referencing it.

Where to stay: hotels and planning

Accommodation for the ball nights needs to be settled early: on 6 February four balls run in the same city on the same evening, and every guest at all four needs a room and a costume.

• Aman Venice: privacy in Palazzo Papadopoli.
• The Gritti Palace: the Grand Canal terrace.
• Hotel Danieli: a few steps from St Mark’s.

Frequently asked questions

Planning your Carnival 2027

The structure of this edition is simple to hold in your head: it opens on 23 January, it peaks on Saturday 6 February when four balls run against each other, and it ends on 9 February, before Valentine’s Day rather than on it — with a single Valentine’s ball, on 13 February, standing outside the season altogether. The theme and the institutional programme are the two pieces still missing, and both should arrive by the end of October.

And Carnival is not the only red-carpet season in this city: every year from late August the Venice Film Festival brings gowns, stars and photographers to the Lido — a different stage, the same city.

Dates and prices on this page were verified in August 2026 and rechecked on 7 September 2026 against the organisers’ own pages and ticket offices. Ball prices can change: check them before booking. Next update: end of October 2026, when the official theme and programme are due.