Arco Carnival

A carnival with 150 years of history

The Arco Carnival is one of the oldest and most enduring carnival celebrations in Italy. Its origins date back to 1876, when the town of Arco, in the Upper Garda area of Trentino, was one of the most elegant winter climatic resorts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a destination for the Central European aristocracy and upper middle class. It was these vacationers who introduced the masquerade balls, theatrical performances, and festivities that gave life to the tradition, still known today as the Habsburg Carnival.

From Habsburg origins to the present day

Interrupted by the two World Wars, the festival was revived in the 1950s by a committee of enthusiasts, and starting in 1969, it established itself as one of the most prestigious Habsburg-inspired carnivals on the national scene. Re-enactments of court processions in horse-drawn carriages, grand balls featuring period recipes, demonstrations of artisanal crafts, and parades of allegorical floats—competing for the Arco, the Arrow, and the Silver Harlequin awards—form its soul. The famous venerdì gnoccolaro (Gnocchi Friday) is a staple, featuring the distribution of gnocchi in the town square.

The heart of the festival in the historic center

The event takes place in the historic center of Arco, between the collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta, the central Piazza Tre Novembre, Piazzale Segantini, and the town's streets. Various themed stages host children's shows, roving entertainment, street artists, and live music, while food stalls offer traditional apple fritters and carnival specialties.

An event for families

In recent years, the Arco Carnival has strengthened its family-friendly focus with the Rebaltom dei putelóti—the carnival dedicated to the little ones—which fills the squares with games, magic shows, face painting, and the wheel of fortune. It is a way to pass down to new generations a festival that, while evolving over time, has never lost its popular and communal essence.

Arco and the Trentino-Alto Adige region

Located just a few kilometers from the northern shore of Lake Garda, in the province of Trento and the Trentino-Alto Adige region, Arco combines the mild Mediterranean climate of the lake with the charm of its Central European history. The Carnival is the ideal opportunity to discover the village, dominated by its famous medieval castle, during one of its most vibrant and colorful days of the year.