Venice Carnival/Carnevale 2019 -- worthwhile or too touristy?

Venice is always filled with tourists anyways as the cruise ships come and go. I was at the carnival in 2002 and it was crowded back then. People crawling into the windows of the trains. You will not be able to walk and if you don't have your hotel already....

I would just stick with Rome and Florence with 10 days. Save the north and Venice another trip.
Or just do Rome and the Pompeii area

I was at the opening weekend a few years back. Town was not over full.

Saturday night was a spectacular float parade on the Rio Cannaregio (they were floating floats). Each float had a Cirque du Soleil type of performance going on. Favorite was a girl continuously diving into a giant cup of "coffee" (heated water with coloring). Each time she came out, she displayed her physique, then whipped her head around to shake the water out her hair, dousing the canal side onlookers.

Sunday afternoon was a rowing parade on the same canal with all manner of rowboats, canoes, gondolas, and larger craft with participants in costumes. Favorite was a 10 passenger canoe by the Lady Lions Club of Mestre. Afterward, free food for everybody of various Venetian specialties dolloped out on paper plates. A few people walked around town in the full Venetian Carnival regalia. Others, just a mask was good enough.

It gets crazier the closer you get to Fat Tuesday, or whatever the Venetians call it. If you want to experience Carneval with reduced crowds, opening week end works good. Monday was just a normal day for Venice in winter.

I used to go every year soon after the current Carnival in the current format was started (1979). Prior to that it was mostly private parties. Now it’s a huge public event throughout the city. The last weekend before March 5, Fat Tuesday (Martedì Grasso) will be very crowded. I would go exactly on that weekend.

I think it’s something one has to experience at least once, like the Palio in Siena. After you have tried it, you will decide for yourself whether you liked it or not. In your shoes I would go exactly on March 2 and 3. Make reservations now, because it will be hard to find a room. It might be too late even now, because I used to reserve a room in Sept/Oct.

Ted, I was in Venice for the end of Carnevale some time ago, in 1999, and based on that, I would say that virtually all you speculated is true. Yes, during the final few days it is an exciting, memorable and unique experience, very colorful, very photogenic, very fun. Yes those days are very touristy and crowded, with both participants and spectators from all over the world, especially all over Europe. And yes, I imagine that Venice is almost always crowded these days, but I expect less so in winter than in spring, summer and fall. My experience was that the day after Carnevale, things were very quiet and back to normal, almost all the Carnevale people just disappeared. Also, I expect that even during Carnevale you can go to neighborhoods beyond the beaten path, and mostly escape the crowds. I also expect, as others have said, that for those final days of Carnevale, hotels will be very crowded and even more expensive than normal. Do it once, and certainly don’t forget your camera!

Oh God - I don't know whether to be worried or excited - I'm crossing it off my bucket list next year and am going Mar 2 and leaving Mar 6 (I booked my room back in early Aug, staying just off the San Toma stop). I imagine the vaporetto will be horrid as well.

Venice is busy at the best of times (well, when we've gone, I should point out, probably not so much in Jan) - I don't think I'd want Carnival to be my first experience of it, as our first visit was so overwhelming (this will be our 5th since '08). At least on our subsequent visits, we were prepared for the sheer number of people, and could more easily go off the tourist trail between Rialto and San Marco, since we'd already 'been there, done that'.

But then again, it is Carnival...

I was in Venice a couple of years ago for a week and left 2 days before Carnevale. It wasn’t overly busy other than Burano and Murrano at the weekend and there were no queues at the main sites. Everybody that I spoke to said it was manic during the festival itself.

20 years ago, I attended parts of Carnevale in Venice but had a more local, special, and impressive experience in Ivrea during the battles of oranges.

I'm sure it will be crowded, but should be fun. I already started reserving accomodations for 2020, only having been to Venice in the fall before and figured it's time to cross Carnivale off my bucket list. I'm expecting a madhouse!

If you don't want to be in the thick of things, stay in far flung streets, way away from the Grand Canal. Dorsoduro or Canareggio or one of the islands. The vaparetto makes it fun, and easy to get back to the craziness when you want to.

*Quick question:* I assume it's quite acceptable for anyone to dress up at any time during Carnivale? You don't have to be in a formal parade or competition? I hope it's considered to be getting into the spirit?

I hope that Ted went and enjoyed himself.

Carole, yes, during my years-ago visit there were plenty of people in costume at random times and certainly at open-air concerts and such. Frankly I thought those tourists who made minimal effort (including myself) were rather lame.