Viareggio’s 2026 Carnival concluded Saturday with a resounding victory for the float “Cappuccetto Rosso” (Little Red Riding Hood), a satirical depiction of global power dynamics, according to reports from Corriere Fiorentino and La Nazione. The float, created by artist Fabrizio Galli and his daughter Valentina, featured a reimagining of the classic fairytale, with Little Red Riding Hood triumphing over caricatures of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping.
The winning float depicted Trump as a captive of Native Americans who mock his hairstyle, a visual commentary on his political standing, as detailed in Gente. Galli explained to Gente that the scalping imagery was intended as “sympathetic” and a playful jab at the former U.S. President’s perceived vanity.
This year’s carnival, which drew over 600,000 spectators, according to Gente, featured floats addressing a range of contemporary issues, including climate change, political corruption, and gender inequality. One float, “The Last Hop,” showcased rane with fluorescent coloring to represent the disastrous consequences of climate change. Another depicted Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, as a hen laying bombs instead of eggs. A float titled “Parità degenere” (Degenerate Parity) addressed discrimination and violence against women.
The satirical tradition of the Viareggio Carnival, which previously featured prominent Italian politicians like Craxi, Andreotti, and Berlusconi, has seemingly shifted its focus to international figures in recent years. According to writer Giampaolo Simi, writing in Il Tirreno, the rapid pace of political change makes it hard to satirize Italian politicians effectively, as eight months – the time it takes to design and build a float – can represent “an era geological” in modern politics. Simi noted that Bill Clinton, Angela Merkel, and Donald Trump had previously been subjects of the carnival’s satire.
Burlamacco, the carnival’s iconic mascot, reportedly raised nearly 400,000 euros, bringing the total funds raised by the event to over 4 million euros, according to a post on La Nazione’s Facebook page. The carnival proceeded despite strong winds that temporarily halted the parades.
The carnival’s conclusion leaves unresolved the question of whether the satirical representations will elicit any response from the political figures depicted, and whether the event’s commentary on global issues will influence public discourse.
