My family and I traveled to Venice, Italy for New Year’s. It was hard to decide what to do for New Year’s as lots of restaurants and other venues offer packages for New Year’s. After much consideration, we decided to join in on the celebrations in St. Mark’s Square. This was by far the best decision we made. They had live entertainment on a large stage set up in the square and a countdown to New Year’s projected onto the clock tower. The fireworks show was spectacular. Everyone moved to the docks to watch the show above the water. It was breathtaking! The only negative I would say about the experience was maneuvering around the crowd. Once it gets near midnight, you pretty much have to stay where you are as it is highly unlikely that you will be able to get back to the same spot. I would recommend this activity over sitting in a restaurant any time as you get entertainment and fireworks all in one. My family ate at a large meal at a restaurant for lunch (as they were less crowded) and ate a snack for dinner. This approach seemed to work best for us and it might work for those who want to experience Italian cuisine and entertainment while in Venice for New Year’s. Here are some of the pictures from that evening. I hope you enjoy!
“People start to gather for the celebrations”
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“Dan takes photos of people gathering for the celebrations”
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“The lights on ready for people to celebrate in the New Year”
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“Dan and I queue up to buy wine for everyone to drink during the celebrations”
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“Thousands gather to celebrate the New Year of Love with live entertainment in St. Mark’s square”
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“The entertainer pumps the crowd up for the countdown”
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“Josh, Dan, and I say ‘Cheers!” to 2009″
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“The crowd celebrate the New Year with sparklers”
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“Looking back at the crowed celebrating and cheering as it has turned 2009″
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“The fireworks start…and they were FABULOUS! Did I mention that it started snowing 10 minutes before turning 2009?? We had fireworks in the snow!”
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“The fireworks were breathtaking and being in Venice added something special about the New Year”
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