History of Viareggio Carnival
In 1873 a group of well to do people discussed the possibility of a parade of floats to celebrate carnival in the Viareggio town square, at one of the local Casino's. So on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) 1873 the first ever Viareggio Carnival was born. From it's simple roots it is now one of the finest and grandest carnivals in the world.
During the latter years of the 1800's, large floats started to appear as part of the people's festivities, these floats were great monuments built in wood, plaster and jute, modeled by sculptors, constructed by carpenters and iron smiths who worked at the Naval Dockyards at Dasena. The floats have since continued to navigate through great seas of surprised and amused people because of the continued satirical depiction of political and daily life.
During the First World War there was a decline in the carnival, but it roared back into life and flourished even more. So, that by 1921 the parade was even more splendid and grandiose than ever before. In that year the floats paraded down the beautiful seaside esplanade "via li a mare" which runs along side the beach. Because the town of Viareggio is backed by rolling hills and the Apuane Alps it became a very popular resort for both wealthy Europeans and Italians alike. The Carnival by then had become livelier with a band playing on a float named "Tonin di Burio" for the first time. The band played the now traditional song of the carnival "Cup of Champagne".
In 1923 the first ever animated carnival figure was introduced it was the "Pierrot", the traditional romantic figure of carnival, this figure had a moving fingers, arms, head and eyes.
Then in 1925, some sculptors took the initiative to use Papier Maché to construct the floats. This material transformed the building of the floats, allowing colossal but very light weight figures to be constructed. These figures seemed to defy gravity, because they looked as if they float in the air. The innovation of these sculptors earned them the name of "Papier Maché Wizards" from both the Italian and international press. In 1930 the Artist Uberto Bonetti who had been designing official posters, designed the now world famous mascot "Burlamacco".
"Burlamacco" now has pride of place at the Museum of Folklore and Tradition in Rome, and can be seen at the Musee de L'Homme in Paris.
The Carnival took a rest during the Second World War, restarting in 1946. The carnival was first televised on Italian TV in 1954 and then on European TV in 1958, it of course can be seen world wide now because of the introduction of satellite TV. In 1959 all the carnival floats were destroyed by a fire which spread through the hangers where the floats were constructed this was a devastating blow, but 12 months later the carnival was back at full strength. Since the early years a long line of well known people, politicians, sports and show business personalities have come to admire their effigies, as well as the ever increasing crowds that make the carnival so successful.
In 1998 the carnival celebrated it's 125th year, an entire month of day and night celebrations took place. Over the year there has been the introduction of masked balls, music concerts and a special "Carnival Cup" youth football tournament.
In 2001 an land mark event took place in the history of Viareggio Carnival, namely the inauguration of a specially designed "Citadel" (Carnival City).
The Cittadella is a multifunctional site with huge hangers that house the floats during construction, a laboratory where school child can come and learn the basics of Papier Maché, a museum which houses a wonderful array of historical materials about the carnival and a great arena which is used during the summer for shows, concerts and cultural events.
In 2002 Viareggio Carnival earned the well deserved title of "The Carnival of Italian and Europe". The carnival now runs for every weekend during lent with both daytime and evening activities taking place. The carnivals now include marching bands, masqueraders, floats, dancers and many groups come from all over europe to join the celebration.
