The Venice Carnival season is the undoubted highlight of the Venetian year. Thousands of people descend on this floating city to be a part of the tradition of the Carnival, but not all get to attend a fantastic carnival ball.
Il Ballo del Doge is the most prestigious ball of them all, and we have been able to offer you both extended costume hire to cover your time in Venice, along with VIP tickets. These tickets are incredibly in demand and will sell out quickly.
We are also the only UK tour operator to offer this ball.
Fly to Venice where your meet & greet guide will be waiting to transfer you and your luggage to the pier for your watertaxi to your hotel.
Hotel Metropole is fantastically well located just along from St Mark’s Square; the epi-centre of the city. This fantastic 5 star hotel has the perfect blend of true Venetian style and detail.
The lagoon view rooms have more space, along with incredible views over to San Giorgio Island opposite.
This evening enjoy a sumptuous 5 course gourmet tasting menu in the Hotel Metropole restaurant, The Met. Prepared by the Michelin Starred chef, this dinner includes true, authentic Venetian dishes using locally sourced ingredients.
You will have the unique choice of sampling 2 tasting menus based on the same ingredients, but cooked in entirely different ways – traditional and contemporary. We recommend you have one of each!
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before heading to your costume fitting appointment. Antonia Sautter is Venice’s leading Atelier and many of the costumes are truly spectacular works of art. She is fastidious in ensuring that all clients attending one of her balls look fantastic!
We will record your dimensions and colour preferences beforehand, so either Antonia or one of our assistants will have an array of options waiting for you to choose from. They will make sure the costumes are a perfect fit and you have all the right accessories to really look the part, before you leave the Atelier.
If your costume fits you will be able to take it away at once and promenade in it for the rest of the afternoon and tomorrow. If not the costume will be delivered to your hotel this evening.
This extended costume hire is only available exclusively to our clients, and from personal experience we highly recommend you take as much opportunity as possible to promenade. You will feel truly wonderful. There will be plenty of locals and tourists alike who will want to take your photo!
You then have some free time to wander out and experience both Venice and the Carnival atmosphere happening all around you. For lovers of traditional coffee, we would recommend having a cup at Cafe Laverna, voted one of the best coffee houses in the world, or why not indulge in a bottle of Prosecco at Westin Europe & Regina, to really get you into the carnival mood?!
The Super Luxury costumes are one level up from the Luxury costumes included in our main break. These costumes come with more options to accessorise, along with a finer level of detail.
Price Per Person: £170
For those wanting the very highest level of costume for Il Ballo del Doge ball, upgrade to our Over the Top costumes. As well as mesmerising costumes, these have a higher level of intricate detail and include more accessories to match your beautiful outfits with.
Price Per Person: £325
This morning wander down to St Mark’s Square in your period historical costume, for the ultimate in ego boosts! Feeling and looking fantastic in all your finery, enjoy one more experience of the tourists flocking to take your photo and paying you the highest in compliments! This experience will live in your memory for a lifetime.
This afternoon pick up your highly personal Ball invitations hand crafted by Antonia Sautter.
This evening attend the World Famous Il Ballo del Doge, the most exclusive Venetian Carnival masked ball. Il Ballo del Doge brings together a cosmopolitan celebrity audience from around the world who mingle “incognito” behind spectacular costumes and masks. 2019 sees the 26th edition of this incredible event, and comes with the theme ‘The Magnificient Epheneral – In praise of Dream, Folly and Sin.’
Arrive by boat on the Grand Canal and feel the sense of excitement rise! From the moment of your approach to the magnificent palace on the Grand Canal, your imagination will soar. You will be welcomed into a fairytale world of dancers, singers, jesters, musicians, acrobats and fire-eaters, entertaining you all evening.
We offer you the choice of two levels of tickets:
VIP (Included in the price) Noble Rooms First Floor – Arrive at 09.00pm. After your welcome glass of champagne, you will be invited upstairs to the first floor rooms. Dine in the Noble Rooms with beautiful frescoes all around you before you enjoy the entertainment. Please note that whilst you are not allowed access to the second floor, the Noble Rooms are much more beautiful.
Super VIP Second Floor (Upgrade) – Arrive at 08.30pm. The Super VIP guests are taken to the second floor where your seating for the dinner is very near to the stage. This means you can see everything taking place in front of you, without the need to move nearer. You are then free to explore the Noble Rooms on the first floor.
Please click on the photo opposite to see a sample of the previous Il Ballo del Doge.
Weekend a la Carte is pleased to announce that we have access to all levels of tickets, however, these are heavily in demand and once they have gone there are no more available.
Soon after the disco and bar will open on the ground floor where you can dance until 2.30-3am or remain and socialise at your tables.
Walk back to your hotel after your magical fairytale evening.
Photos 3-9 opposite copyrighted to Il Ballo del Doge.
For those wanting to experience Il Ballo del Doge with complete unrestricted access, the Super VIP tickets are the ones to choose. These tickets provide access to both the Noble Rooms with their intricate frescos, along with the top floor, where seated right next to the stage you can enjoy the entertainment as you dine. You are then free to wander and explore.
Price Per Person: £870
Morning at leisure to return your costumes, before your watertaxi transfer takes you back to the pier where your meet & greet porter will be waiting to assist you the short walk into the airport, for your flight home.
Hotel Metropole is located just a few steps from St Mark's Square and overlooks San Giorgio Island. It is a stunning 5 star hotel rich in design, detail and taste.
The hotel itself is immersed in candles and incense sticks creating an evocative Venetian feel. There are also plenty of antique pieces located around the vicinity.
The rooms have an 18th century antique flavour, with oriental furniture and art deco style.
The Met Restaurant, located within Hotel Metropole, is one of the finest restaurants in Venice and features a Michelin Star Chef to prepare the true Venetian delicacies.
The Westin Europa & Regina, Venice is centrally located in Corte Barozzi, overlooking the Grand Canal and in the most exclusive shopping district in Venice. It is a short walk from La Fenice Opera House and St. Mark's Square.
The hotel offers traditional beauty combined with contemporary conveniences. Each of the five magnificently restored historic buildings date from the 17th to 19th centuries.
Enjoy cuisine at the waterside restaurant or simply sit on the Grand Canal terrace and breathe in the local atmosphere.
The Super Luxury costumes are one level up from the Luxury costumes included in our main break. These costumes come with more options to accessorise, along with a finer level of detail.
Price Per Person: £170
For those wanting the very highest level of costume for Il Ballo del Doge ball, upgrade to our Over the Top costumes. As well as mesmerising costumes, these have a higher level of intricate detail and include more accessories to match your beautiful outfits with.
Price Per Person: £325
For those wanting to experience Il Ballo del Doge with complete unrestricted access, the Super VIP tickets are the ones to choose. These tickets provide access to both the Noble Rooms with their intricate frescos, along with the top floor, where seated right next to the stage you can enjoy the entertainment as you dine. You are then free to wander and explore.
Price Per Person: £870
We had a fantastic time. The hotel was superb and the staff could not have been more helpful and friendly. The ball was wonderful, really enjoyable. We got stopped several times by locals complimenting me on the outfit as well as by all the camera happy tourists. We will be keeping an eye on your website to celebrate other special occasions.
I cannot say enough about this event in totality. It was great. The costume fitting was fab, the interaction with the staff was fab. The costume itself was complete with gloves, hat, purse. Thus one looked all put together. Once upstairs to the table I enjoyed it tremendously. Full of activity, laughter, music and performers while we dined.
Departure Airports:
Our international clients are welcome to book their own flights.
Alternatively, why not look at our Festivals & Events section for more ideas. These breaks are perfect for those celebrating a special occasion or just fulfilling that once in a lifetime wish list event. All of these breaks can be tailor-made to suit your requirements.