Water Carnival Festival — Naviglio

A Different Carnival, on the Naviglio Grande

The Water Carnival Festival is a curious and fascinating event of Milanese Carnival. It is organized by Canottieri San Cristoforo, a historic rowing club located at Alzaia Naviglio Grande 122, in the Navigli district (Municipality 6). The idea is simple and evocative: to celebrate Carnival not amidst the crowds of the city center, but aboard a boat, letting the Naviglio Grande become a true floating stage.

Boats, Masks, and Confetti

During the festival, the canal comes alive with all kinds of boats: Venetian-style rowing boats, kayaks, canoes, and dragon boats. Participants — club members, athletes, and curious onlookers — are invited to come in costume, creating a colorful aquatic parade. As president Sergio Passetti recounts, it's a special afternoon where the colors and joy of Carnival blend with sport and Milan's boating tradition.

Ambrosian Fat Saturday

The festival is tied to the Ambrosian Carnival calendar, which in Milan and in dioceses with the Ambrosian rite concludes later than in the rest of Italy: Ambrosian Fat Saturday falls the week after Fat Tuesday of the Roman rite. Celebrating Carnival on the waters of the Naviglio Grande is therefore also a way to rediscover one of the peculiarities of Milanese tradition.

Music and Festive Atmosphere

Live music accompanies the aquatic parade, with the voice of Aurora and the guitar of Fabio Tognassi. The event is open to families, couples, and groups of friends: you can participate with your own boat or join a dragon boat. An afternoon that combines sport, tradition, and fun, in one of Milan's most characteristic corners.