The modern Carnival of Venice was inaugurated in 1979.
Venice had celebrated Carnival for centuries before the tradition was abolished in 1797. Its masked festivities were especially famous during the Renaissance and the Baroque era, when masks temporarily softened visible distinctions of status and encouraged public revelry.
The festival disappeared as a major public tradition after the fall of the Venetian Republic and later survived mainly through occasional private celebrations. In 1979, the Italian government and Venetian authorities revived it as a cultural and tourist event, rebuilding interest in historic masks, costumes, and street performances.
A common mix-up is to confuse 1979 with the Carnival’s medieval origins. The older festival dates back many centuries, while 1979 marks the beginning of the modern organized event. Today, the Carnival generally culminates on Shrove Tuesday, immediately before Ash Wednesday and Lent.