Venice Film Festival: dates and the Lido

The 83rd Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, the Venice Film Festival, is dated September 2 to 12, 2026 on the Lido di Venezia, organized by La Biennale di Venezia with Alberto Barbera as artistic director.

The Lido, not the historic center

The 83rd edition is held at the Lido di Venezia, not in the historic city, so a festival day starts and ends with a boat ride. A 75-minute ACTV ticket on the rete unica costs €9.50 (2026), and on board you can only pay by card.

That ticket does not cover lines 16 and 19, the Casinò line or Alilaguna boats. Prices are in euros, and the rest of the city's transport is at getting to Venice.

A Biennale section since 1932

Cinema became a section of La Biennale di Venezia in 1932, after music in 1930 and before theater in 1934, while the Biennale itself dates from 1895². The festival carries FIAPF recognition.

The same institution runs the art and architecture exhibitions, which is why "the Biennale" on a Venice poster can mean several different things. The exhibitions are at the Venice Biennale.

2027: no dates yet

The 2027 dates are not published. The festival normally falls between the end of August and the first half of September, and La Biennale announces each edition itself.

Until the announcement, late August to mid-September is the window to keep in mind, not a date to book against.

The Regata Storica, first Sunday of September

The Regata Storica takes the Grand Canal every year on the first Sunday of September, organized by the Comune di Venezia. The historical procession that opens it recalls how Venice received Caterina Cornaro in 1489³.

When that Sunday falls inside the festival, the Lido has the films and the Grand Canal has the boats on the same day. The rest of the year's calendar is at events in Venice.

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