Il Ballo del Doge 2027 — masked gala ball of the Venice Carnival
The costumed masked ball created by Antonia Sautter, 34th edition, reputed to be one of the most exclusive events in the world: gala dinner, dancing and performances (opera singers, musicians, burlesque artists, Commedia dell'Arte characters), after-party. Around 400 costumed guests. Period costume (15th-19th c.) strictly compulsory — a plain dinner jacket or day dress will be turned away — available to hire from the Antonia Sautter atelier (more than 1,500 costumes, fittings and accessories included in the Premium/Full categories). Named tickets, from €800 (After Dinner, entry at 00:00) and €1,600 (Doge's Lounge, entry at 23:00) up to €4,000 (section B), €6,000-7,000 (Supreme) and €10,000 (Doge's Imperial Table). Several sections are already sold out for 2027.
Line-up : Created by Antonia Sautter. Artistic programme: opera singers, musicians, burlesque artists, dancers and Commedia dell'Arte characters — to date no artist has been named and no international celebrity announced for 2027. An international, costumed high-society crowd.
How to get in
Antonia Sautter Creations & Events
Purchase of named tickets (full name of each guest required) online on the official site ilballodeldoge.com, via the authorised ticket office veneziaopera-tickets.eu (event page with purchase button), or by email/telephone through the organiser's office. Period costume compulsory. 50% refund until 28 December 2026, none thereafter (reseller terms).
The turnkey stay
On Saturday 6 February 2027, Venice returns to its most beautiful lie: the hidden face. We set your trunks down in Cannaregio, a few bridges from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, between a fifteenth-century palace opening onto the Grand Canal and two starred tables where the lagoon is eaten by the spoonful. A mask shaped by your own hands, a private motoscafo to the threshold of the ball, the return at first light through an empty city: all that is left is to step into the role.
Where to stay
- Ca' Sagredo Hotel — The closest to the ball: a fifteenth-century palace listed as a national monument, Campo Santa Sofia 4198/99 (Ca' d'Oro), Cannaregio — only a few bridges from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, the venue announced by the ticket office. 42 rooms and suites, a monumental marble staircase, a frescoed ballroom, the L'Alcova restaurant and a panoramic terrace over the Grand Canal, facing the Rialto market. The house where you dress in costume in your own suite and walk there.
- Aman Venice, Palazzo Papadopoli — Calle Tiepolo 1364, San Polo: one of the eight monumental palaces on the Grand Canal, with private gardens — an absolute rarity in Venice. The Arva restaurant, The Bar and the Palazzo Kitchen Table for a dinner behind closed doors. Spa on the third floor (thermal waters from Salsomaggiore Terme, three treatment rooms, rooftop fitness studio). Arrival by boat from Marco Polo, around 50 minutes; departure by private motoscafo to Cannaregio on the evening of the ball.
Where to dine
- Glam, Enrico Bartolini, Palazzo Venart — Two Michelin stars, Calle Tron 1961, Santa Croce. Enrico Bartolini signs the menu, resident chef Donato Ascani stages it: a contemporary reading of lagoon cooking, served in a palace opening onto a garden on the Grand Canal. The dinner of the evening before, the one that sets the tone for the weekend.
- Ristorante Quadri (Alajmo) — One Michelin star, Piazza San Marco 121, on the noble floors of the Gran Caffè Quadri, opened in 1775 — the former rooms of the Venetian officers, full-frame windows onto the square. Chef Sergio Preziosa, a rereading of Italian and Venetian classics. The lunch of the day after, masks put away, while the Carnival parades beneath the windows.
What to experience
- Ca' Macana, atelier de masques vénitiens — Dorsoduro 3215: a family atelier that has been shaping Venetian papier-mâché masks entirely by hand since 1984. Small-group making and decorating classes — you leave with the mask you will wear to the ball, moulded and painted by your own hands. The only way never to meet anyone else behind the same face.
- Venissa, vigne murée et cave de Mazzorbo — Fondamenta S. Caterina 3, on the island of Mazzorbo, a step from Burano: the walled vineyard of Dorona di Venezia, the lagoon's native grape, with its cellar, its starred table and its Osteria Contemporanea. A lagoon escape by private boat, a tasting among the vines, lunch facing the water. Seasonal opening to be confirmed for February — we lock the date in at the time of booking.
Official event website →