Cantù’s centennial Carnival celebration drew nearly 8,000 attendees to its third and penultimate parade on Sunday, approaching the maximum capacity of the event space around Corso Unità d’Italia, according to organizers.
The event, marking the 100th edition of the Carnevale Canturino, is seen as a successful “dress rehearsal” for Saturday’s final parade, which will conclude this year’s festivities. Sunday’s attendance of 7,460 ticketed spectators, combined with approximately 500 participants in the parade itself, brought the total estimated crowd size to 8,000, according to Fabio Frigerio, president of the Associazione Carnevale Canturino.
“The weather was absolutely benign,” Frigerio said. “It felt like spring: everyone was happy.”
The surge in attendance follows a gradual increase throughout the carnival season, with 2,500 attendees at the first parade in early February, held in 5-degree Celsius temperatures, and 5,000 at the second parade. Organizers are now focused on streamlining access to the parade route for Saturday’s event, planning to increase the number of volunteers checking tickets at the entrance to reduce queueing.
Sunday’s parade featured floats from local groups including Bentransema, Lisandrin, Il Coriandolo, Amici di Fecchio, Gruppo Mirabello, Buscait, and Baloss. Participating groups from outside Cantù included the Gerenzano musical corps, with young performers dressed as animal-themed majorettes, and the Uboldo wind orchestra.
Tickets for Saturday’s final parade will go on sale Tuesday at 9:00 AM via the diyTicket website, with the option of online purchase or collection from various tobacconists, including those outside of Cantù.
In addition to the parades, the Carnevale Canturino is hosting new events this year within a temporary structure on Via Colombo. A free children’s carnival is scheduled for Friday at 4:30 PM, and a masked ball with live music from The Funky Machine will take place on Saturday evening, with tickets priced at 15 euros including one drink.