Carnival of Acireale, the carnival event begins tomorrow (4 February 2023) in the Sicilian town in the province of Catania. The great celebration will end on Shrove Tuesday, February 21, with the great float parade. The Carnival of Acireale, is considered “the most beautiful in Sicily”, and is one of the most authentic and engaging manifestations of the island's folklore. Throughout the period of the festivities, allegorical floats, masked groups, bands and flowered floats parade along an articulated route through the streets of the centre. Exhibitions and concerts are located within the circuit, perfectly immersed in the splendor of the Sicilian Baroque.
The Carnival of Acireale
The carnival tradition of Acireale has deep roots, a very ancient tradition whose first evidence dates back to 1594, as evidenced by a payment mandate ordered by the Jurors in favor of the Capuchins for the "festivals of carnilivari”. In 1880 the tradition of parades of allegorical floats began which made the Carnival of Acireale famous throughout Italy. These are wonderful works of art made every year by Masters of cartapesta, members of various cultural associations. All the workshop-sites for the construction of the wagons are located in the carnival citadel, north of the city. In addition to the papier-mâché floats, the flowered floats, very special sculptures made up of hundreds of thousands of flowers with movements and lights.
An important milestone was reached in 1996 when the Carnival of Acireale, for the first time, became part of national lottery together with Viareggio e Putignano. Since 2005 a series of twinnings with the others have been born Carnivals of Italy with the aim of increasingly acquiring an international profile. Today, like yesterday, the event is corroborated by the explosive enthusiasm of the participating public who arrive in Acireale from all over Sicily and also from outside the region to attend the spectacle of one of the most evocative historical carnivals in the Belpaese.
(Images official page Carnival of Acireale)
