Marco Maccapani is the artistic director of the Carnevale di Venezia 2017. The theme 'Creatum: Vanity Af-fair' is a continuation of the 'Creatum' theme of last year. Earlier, Maccapani organized fashion shows for Versace, Armani and Valentino.

In the photo: a fragment of the opening ceremony.

The Festa Veneziana is the official opening of the Carnival and takes place in the Cannaregio district. On Saturday evening, a magical show with impressive colours, dancers and acrobats took place on the Rio di Cannaregio. On Sunday, many Venetians dressed up and sailed along the Canal Grande to Cannaregio. The huge boat parade was accompanied by music and started around noon.

There are always people in zombie costumes.

On this weekend of 18 and 19 February, there are planned the major carnival events - "Holiday of Maries" and "Flight of the Angel".

The streets and squares of the city are transformed into concert halls, there are sparkling fireworks everywhere, and the balls-masquerades are held in the old palazzo. This is what the carnival in Venice is. Its program includes more than 100 events: street performances, parades, concerts, dance performances and exhibitions.

The entrance to the street events is free, but participation in the balls is paid separately. Venetian Masquerade is one of the most expensive events for visitors. Ticket prices start from 113 euros and can reach up to 3,500 euros per person.

One of the main events of the carnival is the "Angel Descent" from the bell tower at the St. Mark's Square. This year it will be executed on February 19.

In the photo: part of the opening ceremony.

An essential attribute of the holiday is a mask. Join the carnival procession at any time, masks of various colors and shapes are sold everywhere.

This year, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises the city authorities have approved a special anti-terrorism plan. Thus, security measures have been increades not only on the island part of Venice, but also on the mainland - Mestre and Marghera, where special barriers were erected against unauthorized entry of trucks.