Il Ballo Del Doge Ball at Venice Carnival

DAY 1: 20 February 2020
Fly to Venice, Transfer to your hotel and Gourmet Tasting Menu dinner

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!

DAY 2: 21 Feb 2020
Costume Fitting Appointment and afternoon at leisure

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.

We have included “Super Luxury” costumes which are the second highest category. If however, you want to upgrade to “Over The Top” which are the very finest costumes, please see Optional Extra below.

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!

Read about how it feels to promenade around Venice is a beautiful historical costume being the centre of attention!

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?!

For more information on planning your Venice Carnival historical costume and accessories

DAY 3: 22 Feb 2020
Promenade in Historical Costume and Attend the VIP Il Ballo del Doge Ball.

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. Now on its 27^th Edition, the theme for 2020 is “Carnival Rhapsody – Provocation, Redemption, Miracle.”

Il Ballo del Doge brings together a cosmopolitan celebrity audience from around the world who mingle “incognito” behind spectacular costumes and masks.

Arrive by watertaxi at Scuola Grande della Misericordia and feel the sense of anticipation rise! From the moment of your arrival you get to experience the opening show and cocktail. Be welcomed into a fairytale world of international dancers, singers, jesters, musicians, acrobats and fire-eaters.

Then head upstairs where the waiters in livery will serve you a sumptuous dinner.

Be seated in Section A which is the best seating for the show taking place right in front of you. The entertainment takes place while you dine. This includes actors, singers, dancers, musicians and so much more.

Once dining is complete, walk downstairs for the after dinner disco and open bar. Dance and mingle into the early hours, before wandering back to your hotel after the ball closes around 2.30 am, after your perfect evening. A true re-creation of an 18th Century Venetian party.

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.

Walk back to your hotel after your magical fairytale evening.

Photos 3-9 opposite copyrighted to Il Ballo del Doge.

DAY 4: 23 Feb 2020
Watertaxi Transfer to the airport after your Venice Carnival Break.

Morning at leisure to return your costumes, before your watertaxi transfer takes you back to the airport, for your flight home.