Venice events: the Biennale alternates by year

The Venice Biennale alternates by year: art in even years, architecture in odd ones, so 2026 was an art year and 2027 is an architecture year.

Art in even years, architecture in odd ones

The two International Exhibitions alternate: Art falls in even years, most recently 2026, and Architecture in odd years, next in 2027. The alternation broke between 2020 and 2022 for the pandemic and the current cadence is the one above.

That single rule answers most planning questions about Venice in spring and autumn. If your dates are in an even year you are arriving during an art Biennale; in an odd year the pavilions hold architecture, which fills the same buildings with a different public.

The 61st Art Exhibition, titled In Minor Keys and curated by Koyo Kouoh, ran May 9 to November 22, 2026 at the Giardini, the Arsenale and Forte Marghera in Mestre, at €30 full and €16 reduced for under 26s.

One institution, six sections, born in different decades

The Biennale was founded in 1895² with the first International Art Exhibition, and its sections arrived one at a time afterwards: Music in 1930, Cinema in 1932, Theater in 1934, Architecture in 1980, Dance in 1999.

That chronology is the reason the word Biennale means several different things in Venice depending on who is saying it. A hotel quoting Biennale prices in September is talking about cinema; a gallery talking about the Biennale in May means art.

The institution presents its 1932 film exhibition as the first of its kind anywhere in the world, which is why the film festival carries a separate weight from the rest.

The film festival: 83rd edition, Lido, September

The 83rd Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica was held at the Lido from September 2 to 12, 2026, with Alberto Barbera as artistic director, under FIAPF recognition.

The festival normally sits between the end of August and the first half of September. It takes over the Lido rather than the historic city, which changes where the pressure falls: hotel demand moves to the island and the boat lines to it run full.

If you want to be in Venice in early September and have no interest in cinema, that is the fortnight to avoid the Lido and nothing else.

Carnival: 1094, 1296, 1797, 1979

Carnival is first documented in 1094⁶ under doge Vitale Falier, became an official public festival by a Senate decree of 1296⁶, ended in 1797⁶ with the fall of the Republic and was revived in its modern form in 1979.

Its date moves. Carnival occupies the days before Lent and closes on Shrove Tuesday, 47 days before Easter, so it lands anywhere from early February to early March. The modern edition is run by the city of Venice with local associations.

We do not publish next year's dates. The dedicated Carnival site refuses automated reading and the city portal is the only primary source we could open, so we would be copying a number from somewhere unverified. Check the official channels once the Easter date is known.

The Regata Storica, first Sunday of September

The Regata Storica is held every year on the first Sunday of September on the Grand Canal, organized by the city of Venice.

The historical procession that opens it re-enacts the welcome the city gave Caterina Cornaro in 1489⁷, and the racing that follows is competitive rowing rather than pageantry. It is watched from the banks and the bridges, free, which makes it the one major Venice event with no ticket at its center.

Plan on the day rather than a date: the first Sunday of September, every year. More at events across Italy and things to do in Venice.

↑ Contents