With the evocative event title “Ad Oriente (To the East) the amazing Journey of Marco Polo,” the Carnival of Venice 2024 celebrates one of its greatest travelers – Marco Polo. On the 700th anniversary of his death, which occurred on January 8, 1324, he returns to the lagoon as a protagonist of the Venetian carnival tradition.
The theme of travel, discovery, and encounters with worlds previously only imagined, but also the journey understood as a journey to discover oneself different from when one left, will be at the center of the 2024 edition of the Carnival of Venice in Italy.
A fantastic journey towards the imagination that will turn its gaze “to the East” on the trail of the path that the then-young Marco undertook to discover new wonders. It was an educational journey across borders and cultures, unthinkable at the time, which changed the destiny of the young ambassador of Venice and the world known during that era.
From January 27 to February 13, the city of Venice will become the map of this extraordinary journey which will lead guests and Venetians through the streets and squares, animated by shows, music, and art, for a Carnival spread throughout the entire city, from the islands to the mainland.
“Venice celebrates one of its most significant exponents and among the greatest representatives of its international vocation, a man who undertook one of the most compelling journeys in history, between Europe and the East, destined to leave an indelible mark on relations between peoples,” commented the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, adding, “The municipal administration has decided to dedicate a year of celebrations which confirm the role of Marco Polo in the history of Venice diplomatic and commercial relations with the East.
“Celebrations that allow us to reaffirm the central cultural role and social, commercial, and diplomatic relations that the city of Venice has always had over the centuries.”
“The Carnival will be an opportunity to immerse in the story of the young Venetian, Marco, which unravels between reality and fantasy to merge and give life to a narrative of great charm that continues to seduce us and make us dream today.”
The protagonist will be the Carnival Street Show with the best artists on the international scene in the fields of music, circus-theatre, and clowning. There will be no shortage of traditional events with the most beautiful Mask and the selection of the 12 Maries, while the official Carnival Dinner Show returns to Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, entitled “At the Court of the Great Khan.”
The Arsenale will confirm itself as the character of an extraordinary and exciting show on the water. “Terra incognita” will be the show that will fill the body of water of the Darsena Grande with magic in the footsteps of Marco Polo.
Art and theater will also return to celebrate the Carnival with a program of shows in the city’s cultural spaces with the proven experience of the Carnival of Culture in collaboration with the Biennale and the many city entities.
The 2024 edition of the Venice Carnival bears the signature of the Artistic Director and Set Designer of the Teatro La Fenice, Massimo Checchetto, and will transform the city into a fantastic land where the civilizations and cultures encountered by Marco Polo will take shape in the inspiration of the Carnival.
“Marco Polo,” declares Checchetto, “is a hero of his time who had the extraordinary fortune of seeing incredible peoples and civilizations, like few others at the time.
“He left by land towards unknown lands and returned to Venice by sea, gathering an enormous amount of information and facing dangers and misadventures. In the East, he recalls precisely this exploration of everything that was beyond, to the east of Venice and of those lands of which he was aware at the time.”
