Florence’s Blowout Carnival Weekend 2020

February is the quintessential Carnival month, celebrated with parades, street decorations, masquerade balls, fireworks and general merriment.  Carnival, Carnevale in Italian, has origins in the ancient pagan Greek Dionysian and Roman Saturnalia festivals.  Today’s Carnevale resembles a month-long party melding ancient traditions and modern-day frivolity.  Carnival time brings Italians into the streets for merrymaking like no other time of the year.

Expect a grand finale of unrestrained enjoyment leading up to Martedì Grasso (Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday), which this year falls on February 25.  This is immediately followed by 40 days of Lent, a time when good Catholics fast or deprive themselves of something they enjoy.

Wherever one is in Tuscany this season, there is sure to be an event nearby filled with fun and frivolity, and Florence is no exception, offering a blowout Carnival weekend immediately preceding Martedì Grasso.

The city of Florence has not sponsored any official parades and floats in many years, but in 2020 the municipality has organized two events. An elegant dinner with a party following, is scheduled for February 21 in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio.  An auction, with select items for sale, will be held during the evening.  The cost for the event is a steep €250, with funds raised going to Venice to sponsor the restoration of the Marciana National Library whose manuscripts were seriously damaged last fall with the high-water flooding of November 12.

A more traditional Carnival, free of charge, will take place on the afternoon of Saturday, February 22.  Festivities start in Piazza Santa Maria Novella at 3:30 pm, featuring bands, dancers and street artists who will join participants from the Viareggio and Venice Carnivals along with face painters, music and games to keep all ages entertained.  A parade will move towards Piazza della Signoria with revelers in costume joining in.

Florence’s Children’s Carnival is scheduled the same day in Piazza Ognissanti from 2 to 6 pm. Kids and their parents are invited to put on their costumes and masks and spend the afternoon with activities, crafts, games, face painting, circus acts and storytelling.  Special treats will be on sale, in addition to a scenic train tour of the Lungarno Vespucci.  The evening ends with a bonfire along the Arno River, burning an effigy of Stenterello, the traditional masked character of Florence.  Apart from the refreshments, all activities are free of charge.

For those with athletic abilities, the ice rink at Fortezza da Basso is holding a family Carnival on February 23 at 3:30 pm.  All ages are invited to enjoy animation and clowns followed by a concert showcasing songs from Disney musicals.  (rita kungel)