The Viareggio Carnival was established in 1873 when some of the local "signori" decided to organize a Sunday a little different from the rest, by inventing a procession of decorated floats which travelled up and down the main street of the city. On that occasion a masked protest was also organized by a number of citizens, as they were forced to pay too many taxes and as a result the chief tax collector was certainly made fun of!!

The parade was liked alot not only by the patrons but also by the citizens and the idea of making floats that interpreted humour and disatisfaction of the people came about in that year.

Since then Viareggio has become the home of the Italian Carnival, with its masked parades characterized by allegorical floats in papermache. These floats are true works of art to which the local float makers dedicate an entire year of workmanship. There is not one politician, entertainer, or intellectual that has not been a target (protagonist) of one of these floats which almost comes to life during the parade by the moving arms, opening and closing mouths and rolling eyes. On every float young people and children find a place from which to throw confetti and shooting stars to the crowd.
During the entire period masked balls and parties in the various "rioni" (quarters, districts) are organized as well as numerous sports and cultural events i.e. "Torneo Internazionale giovanile di calcio

The official Viareggio Carnival mask is the "Burlamacco", a clown which wears clothes taken from other Italian masks: checkered overalls, taken from the Harlequin's costume, a white ponpon stolen from Pierrot's big puffy blouse, a white gorget - "Captain Scary" style, a red headband and a black mantle.

The name Burlamacco derives from Buffalmacco a Florentine painter and a character in the "Decamerone". However, it is also said to be linked to the Lucchese surname Burlamacchi.

The word "Carnevale" (?Carnival? in English) derives from the Latin "carnem levare", which means to take away meat, with reference to the period of penitence following this festival. Carnevale has very ancient origins, perhaps as far back as Greek orgy fests and the Saturnalian Roman parties.

The word Carnevale for many years has come to be associated with exotic places such as Rio de Janeiro or the welcoming, lively Viareggio. At the close of the 19th century the small city of Viareggio, which had become a Commune of United Italy in 1870, counted some eleven thousand inhabitants dedicated to agricultural activities or connected with seaside establishments. It was in this period that Viareggio institutionalized its Carnevale: the festival, previously celebrated inside theaters and bars with masked balls, took on a much more liberating character. All of the city?s social classes were united on the street for a festive masked procession followed by dances, lunches, dinners, parties and spirited jaunts around town. In addition there were the traditional pranks of Martedi Grasso (Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras) during which time it was customary to play jokes (in a kindly manner) with the local authorities.

The Carnevale of Viareggio soon became a Carnevale of the people: it was absolutely normal to view the carriages of the nobles and those of the farmers at only a few meters from one another. In subsequent years the idea took hold to mount allegorical puppets on the floats. After the delicate social-political passage between the 19th and 20th centuries and difficulties following the First World War, there developed the tradition to model colossal structures in paper casts, a practice made famous by several able designers and builders. The talented visionaries included the painter Antonio D?Arliano (known as ?The Color Magician?), the artist Alfredo Pardini, the sculptor and sketch artist Alfredo Morescalchi (to whome an entire museum was dedicated in the city of Detroit; he also worked with Ingmar Bergman). Later Sergio Baroni, Silvano Avanzini, Arnaldo Galli and Giovanni Lazzarini came to be promoters of technical and above all ideological innovation.

There are in fact two schools of thought among float builders: the romantics (illustrators of legendary stories, of good humor, of beauty and color) and the verists (imbued with social-political messages and contents, sometimes denouncing the system, whose merciless irony often touched on rebellion). The political regime often tried to stop, whenever possible, the exuberance of the second group. The real halt of activities came with the brutality of the Second World War: the city of Viareggio was almost completely razed to the ground. After an arduous period of social adjustment and building reconstruction, the Carnevale of Viareggio returned to animate the streets of the little seaside city. In the Carnevale of 1954 there was the first appearance of the libecciata, Viareggio?s first folklore group.

Guiding the carnival procession, the libecciata assumed the role of messenger from the world of the allegorical floats, which during this period came to embody the new spirit of the festival. Their communications combined both romantic and verist schools of thought. Along with the allegorical floats the public was able to admire, at the close of Theaters and casinos or in stands constructed for the occasion, stars of the caliber of Sofia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida (elected, respectively in ?55 and ?56, ?Queen of Cinema and of Carnevale?). In the ?80s the Fondazione Carnevale was created, thanks to which personages such as Roberto Benigni, Lorella Cuccarini, Beppe Grillo and Peppino Di Capri took part in the festivities. In 1989 there was the first Maschereide, a unrivalled group of comic masqueraders from the Commedia dell?Arte, led by a Burlamacco drum major and accompanied by a large group of instrumentalists (mostly wind instruments, for practical reasons) and majorettes.

Masqueraders and majorettes alike follow a suggestive choreography. All participants, from musicians to sound-effects men, dress in gaudy, brightly colored and altogether unforgettable costumes. Extremely vivacious and quite deservingly famous,

the Carnevale of Viareggio is today an event of international importance, attracting throngs of impassioned and curious people from all over the wold.

Carnevale - Carnival - Carnaval 2003

16 Febbraio - February - Februar

23 Febbraio - February - Februar

2 Marzo - March - März

4 Marzo - March - März

9 Marzo - March - März