Bellinzona, the home of Carnival: the week of Rabadan begins

If there is a place not far from Varese Province where Carnival is taken seriously, it is the town of Bellinzona, which, also this year, is organising “Rabadan“.

During these six days, the town comes alive with masks and entertainment; the full programme starts in the morning and goes on until late at night. This is the 156th Rabadan this year.

The activities begin on Thursday, 28 February, with the handing over of the keys to King Rabadan; after that, the party! On Friday, 1 March, there is the costume parade of elementary and preschool children from Bellinzona. On Saturday, there is a performance of music by the cheerful, marching bands from Ticino and from beyond San Gottardo.

On Sunday, Bellinzona will be home to the usual “Great Costume Procession”, with two thousand extras livening up the funny, musical procession, and floats and groups, in the healthiest tradition of the Carnival of King Rabadan, the most famous Ticino ruler.

                                SEA THE FULL PROGRAMME

The whole event will be accompanied by many other activities, such as the competition for the best mask, a tug of war and dozens of “little booths”, where you can eat, drink and dance until the early hours of the morning.

For the Rabadan activities, tickets cost between CHF 25 and CHF 31, or CHF 61 for the full event.