The numbers of Venice Carnival 2026 reveal much more than a celebration: they describe a complex organizational system and a global-scale event capable of attracting visitors from every corner of the world to the Venetian lagoon.
Beneath the masks and vibrant costumes, a whole city was working tirelessly behind the scenes. ACTV went into overdrive, deploying 560 extra services on its bus and tram network, along with a huge water transport backup. Vela S.p.A. rolled out 12 extra shifts to deal with queues at official ticket points. Meanwhile Veritas S.p.A. hauled in over 500 cubic meters of trash, while the Polizia Locale di Venezia mobilized 805 officers across the historic centre and mainland areas. And the Protezione Civile came up trumps too, with 279 volunteers hard at work during peak days.
Just as tradition would have it, the largest share of international visitors came from Spain (14.1%), followed by France (13.7%), the UK (9.7%), Germany (7.5%), the United States (6.3%) and Austria (4.7%).
Between on-site attendance, social engagement, and streaming, the figures are remarkable. Let’s explore them in detail.
Numbers of Venice Carnival 2026: a true spectacle of figures
The 2026 edition of the Carnevale di Venezia, an extravaganza themed “Olympus – At the Origins of the Game”, came to an end with the traditional goodbye in Piazza San Marco, where the winner of the Maria award, Martine Diop Bullo, greeted the crowd with a smile.
The celebrations also took in the parade of floats in Zelarino and the final evocative performance of “The Call of Olympia” at the Arsenale di Venezia. As the weeks went by, from January 31 to February 17, Venice was transformed into a vast open-air stage. Across squares, canals, and historic palaces, theatrical performances, concerts, artistic showcases and water parades intertwined classical mythology with the spirit of the Olympics, celebrating values like inclusion, respect, commitment and shared participation.
Masked balls in some of the city’s most historic palaces brought a timeless elegance to La Serenissima, while mainland parades took in the mainland town of Mestre and the lagoon islands, reinforcing the metropolitan dimension of the Carnival.
Numbers of Venice Carnival 2026 visitor data
According to the data from the Smart Control Room, operating 24/7 to ensure safety and inter-agency coordination, 173 different nationalities were recorded in the Municipality of Venice during the Carnival period, based on a careful analysis of telephone traffic data. A proper global Carnival, by all accounts.
Spanish visitors led the way (14.1%), followed by French (13.7%) and British (9.7%) visitors. Germany (7.5%), the US (6.3%) and Austria (4.7%) made up the main source markets.
One of the most fascinating aspects was that travellers arrived from Australia, Chile, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines. Visitors also came from Nepal, Togo and even Iceland, which only goes to show just how global Venice’s most iconic celebration is.
Numbers of Venice Carnival 2026 data collection social and streaming
The numbers of Venice Carnival 2026 tell us a lot more than just the physical numbers. The event reached out to a staggering number of people across social platforms and web channels:
- 4 million users reached on Facebook (posts, stories, videos)
- 5.8 million users reached on Instagram (stories, posts, videos, reels)
- 250,000 views on whatever X is
The digital side of the Carnival reinforces just how hybrid and global this event is: both physical and virtual, and yet somehow still deeply local.
The operational effort behind the scenes
But behind all these figures for the 2026 Venice Carnival are various organizations that have provided various services.
VELA SPA
Vela coordinated the entire event through its Events Operations Department, Press and Social Media division, and Market Development and Sales team. Official ticket offices stayed open until 1:00 AM, with 12 extra shifts thrown in to deal with the crowds.
ACTV
Over the first main weekend, the opening weekend and peak Carnival days:
- 200 extra water transport services were provided
- 560 extra bus & tram services were activated
- Over 50,000 passengers were checked in Venice
- More than 1,000 ZTL bus passes were issued for the historic centre
- 11,000 occasional transits were recorded at Municipal Garage and Park Sant’Andrea
- Over 5,000 entries at Park Costa and Park Candiani in Mestre
It was a whole team effort, involving operations centres, onboard staff, inspectors, parking personnel, the people mover and maintenance teams.
VERITAS
To keep the city clean, more than 70 extra staff members were brought in for night services, and 30 for afternoon and evening shifts. Over 500 waste carts were collected, equivalent to over 500 cubic meters. Just on the final day alone, 70 sanitation workers and 4 motorboats were in action.
Local police
Security figures spot just how big of an operation this was:
- 805 officers turned out - that's a lot of police presence
- Pickpocketing & drug dealing arrests: 4 for pickpocketing & 2 for pushing the limits on the drug side
- 4,373 road and speed checks - we're talking thousands of checks
- 237 boats were put through the wringer - and 237 is way too many to count
- You'd expect maybe a few dozen, but 72 violations were discovered in commercial & hospitality activities - that's not a great look
For the whole time, there were people keeping an eye on all the action - pedestrians, water traffic, public events, and looking out for potential abuse - they had their eyes everywhere.
Civil protection
At a glance: 279 Civil Protection volunteers rolled up to support the main events. They helped out residents & visitors, kept an eye on where problems might pop up, and were in charge of keeping things in order across the old town, mainland parades and on the islands.
Conclusion: Carnival as a complex urban system
The numbers of Venice Carnival 2026 demonstrate that Carnival is not merely a spectacular celebration, but a sophisticated urban ecosystem involving transportation networks, environmental services, safety management, digital communication, and coordinated governance.
So, the numbers crunch from Venice Carnival 2026 all add up to one thing: Carnival is a seriously complex urban ecosystem, all knitted together with transportation networks, getting the environment sorted, making sure people are safe, keeping everyone connected digitally, and making sure all the core players are working together.
Venice once again proves its ability to balance old with new - putting its centuries old history together with some pretty cool modern ideas to put on a show that wows the whole world.
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