The Carnevale di Acireale is an ancient festival which is characterized by allegorical floats, dancers, concerts and confetti parades.
The Carnevale di Acireale (Acireale’s Carnival) is an ancient tradition which begun in the late 16th Century as a spontaneous party among villagers who used to launch rotten eggs and citrus fruits in streets. In the 18th century, during the carnival time, the “abbatazzi” (folk poets) improvised rhymes on the streets and later in the 19th Century the village introduced to the festival the “cassariata”, a parade of horse-drawn carriages from which aristocratic family launched candy and confetti at villagers. Today the Carnival is characterized by allegorical floats, dancers, concerts and confetti parades, while the charming narrow streets offer numerous traditional local food and wine stalls.