Still one of the most devastatingly romantic things in the world, Carnival of Venice, with its dramatic masks and St. Mark's Square and watery byways, beguiles. And while most of us would tell our daily lives "hasta" to get there and start the party, we also have a Venice carnival of our own.
Not that we'll forsake a jaunt to Italy, but LA's lively Carnevale, which takes place each June in Venice, is nothing to shake a feathery harlequin mask at. It's large, it's colorful, it's boisterous, it's everything Venice is all year long but with a swirl of caramel and pink sugar on top.
There's a costume contest -- of course -- with much strutting and preening and wowing-of-crowds from the stage. Our most favorite rule: "Costumes with electric power requirements must be self-contained." You're getting the picture. Outlandish outfits are the order of the day. Think head to toe, finger tip to finger tip. The total package.
Carnevale also boasts music, a car show, dancers, snackage, pretty frippery for sale, all the deliciously divine carnival-fun stuff. Just make sure you can see/eat/move in your costume, because you'll want to soak in what everyone else is up to, too. Saturday, June 6, Noon-9PM. Windward & Speedway, Venice.
