The Major Festivals in Venice

• Carnival is celebrated during the two and a half weeks leading up to Lent (2016: January 23rd-February 9th). 

• The Festa della Sensa takes place on the Sunday after Ascension Day (2016: May 5th). The Festa della Sensa marks the ancient ceremony when the city of Venice celebrated her marriage to the sea (Sposalizio del Mare). 
• The Vogalonga takes place on a Sunday in late May or early June (2016: date tbc). The Vogalonga, or long row, is a rowing event open to anyone with enough stamina to row a distance of 32 kms. The route goes round the east of Venice, across the lagoon to Burano and back home along the Grand Canal.

• The Festa del Redentore, which takes place on the third weekend of July (2016: July 16/17th), marks the city's deliverance from a devastating onslaught of the plague (1575-77). A pontoon bridge is strung across the Giudecca Canal, linking the Zattere to Palladio's votive Church of the Holy Redeemer. The end of the evening is marked by a fabulous display of fireworks. On Sunday there is a rowing regatta, the Regata del Redentore, in the Giudecca Canal. 

• The Regata Storica takes place on the first Sunday of September (2016: September 4th). 

• The Festa della Salute takes place on November 21st and marks the end of an attack of the plague (1630-31), which claimed over 40,000 lives, or a third of the city's population.