Venice Film Festival 2026: Dates, Lido, Tickets & Getting There

The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world — first held in 1932 — and, alongside Cannes and Berlin, one of the “big three” of the international festival calendar. For eleven days the Lido di Venezia, the long bathing island in front of the lagoon, becomes the film industry’s red carpet: world premieres, international stars, industry meetings — and finally the awarding of the Golden Lion (Leone d’Oro) for best film. 2026 marks the 83rd edition, and for anyone visiting Venice in early September it is a great reason to combine city, beach and cinema.

A festival with almost a century of history

The Mostra was founded in 1932 as part of the Biennale di Venezia, making it older than any other film festival. Even then the Lido, with its Belle Époque hotels, was the stage — and to this day the festival plays out around the Palazzo del Cinema and the neighbouring venues on the Lungomare Marconi. Over the decades Venice has become a launch pad for films that later won Oscars, and the place where European auteur cinema meets big Hollywood productions. The Golden Lion is considered one of the highest honours a film can receive internationally.

Dates and venue 2026 at a glance

The full programme with the competition films and the jury line-up is traditionally announced only in high summer (usually late July). So if you are after specific films or stars, check the official Biennale site from late July onwards.

The festival sections

The programme is divided into several strands — from the main competition to experimental formats. The main competition Venezia 83 vies for the Golden Lion. Alongside it:

• Out of Competition (Fuori Concorso) — premieres of major productions and star vehicles without competitive pressure.
• Orizzonti — new aesthetic and narrative currents in world cinema, often bolder and younger.
• Venezia Spotlight — outstanding crowd-pleasers with broad appeal.
• Venezia Classici — restored classics and documentaries about cinema itself.
• Venice Immersive — virtual-reality and immersive works on their own island, Lazzaretto Vecchio.
• Biennale College Cinema — support for emerging talent with micro-budget productions.

Running in parallel and organised independently are two further respected strands: the International Film Critics’ Week (Settimana della Critica) for debut films and the Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), inspired by the Quinzaine in Cannes.

What visitors can expect on the Lido

Contrary to common belief, the Mostra is not a trade-only event. Around the Palazzo del Cinema there is festival atmosphere for these eleven days: photographers at the red carpet, public-viewing areas, billboards, pop-up cafés and a steady stream of film fans. Stars usually walk to the Sala Grande in the late afternoon and early evening — if you want autographs or photos, position yourself early along the barriers on the Lungomare. During the day the mood is more relaxed and film-focused: repeat screenings and side sections run, and tickets are much easier to get.

Tickets for the public

A large share of the screenings is open to the public — no industry accreditation required. There are several options:

• Single tickets for specific screenings — online via labiennale.org or at the box offices on the Lido.
• Passes and day passes for heavy viewers, sometimes with access to several theatres per day.
• Reductions for young visitors and students, plus special quotas.

Important: online advance sales usually start only a few days before the festival begins (typically mid-August), once the programme is set. Sought-after premieres in the Sala Grande are then often gone within minutes. More relaxed are the daytime repeat screenings and the films in the side sections — here you can still get seats at short notice and pay less. The Biennale publishes the exact prices and sales dates anew each year.

Getting to the Lido

The festival grounds are on the Lido, the car-free lagoon island between Venice and the open Adriatic. From the city centre several vaporetto lines run to the Lido Santa Maria Elisabetta stop; from there it is about a 10-minute walk along the waterfront or a short bus ride (line A/B) to the Palazzo del Cinema. The fastest options are vaporetto line 1 and the express lines 5.1/5.2 and 6.

No access fee in September

Good news for festival visitors: Venice’s day-visitor access fee (Contributo di Accesso) applies in 2026 only on set days between 3 April and 26 July. So in September no access fee is charged. In any case the fee never applies to the lagoon islands — and therefore not to the Lido, where the festival takes place.

Frequently asked questions