Feast of the Redeemer Event Religious event
Third weekend of July: a floating votive bridge to Giudecca and huge fireworks over St Mark's Basin.
The Feast of the Redeemer, the most anticipated night of the Venetian summer
Every year, on the Saturday before the third Sunday of July, Venice celebrates the Festa del Redentore, commemorating the vow made by the Republic after the terrible plague epidemic of 1575-1577 (see the Redentore church, built for the occasion). The festival opens on Friday evening with the inauguration of a long floating votive bridge over 300 metres long, linking the Zattere to Giudecca, open to the public from 8 p.m.
On Sunday, three traditional regattas (Regate del Redentore) pit Venetian rowers against each other in the Giudecca Canal, before the celebrations close with the votive mass at 7 p.m. in the Redentore church itself.
Plan ahead: very heavy traffic on the water and on foot that weekend; book a place in a boat or on the quays early in the evening for the fireworks.