Hotel Indigo Venice - Sant'Elena
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Biennale

The Venice Biennale is a world-renowned institution that has been promoting new trends in contemporary arts for more than a century, offering a rich programme of exhibition, performance, training and research activities. As an institution it was founded in 1895 and the first editions took place in the Palazzo Pro Arte, later the Padiglione Italia, now the Central Pavillion located near the Giardini della Biennale, a few steps from our hotel. As early as 1907, national pavilions (now 29) began to be built near the Central Pavilion and surrounded by greenery. The historic location was joined by others in various locations around the city, such as the Arsenale.

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Architecture Biennale 2023 Offer

Hotel Indigo Venice reserves its guests an unmissable offer with exclusive benefits; reserved discount on Biennale tickets, personalised welcome gift in your room, welcome drink served in our indoor garden and much more!

The 18th International Architecture Exhibition will take place from Saturday 20 May to Sunday 26 November 2023 (pre-opening 18 and 19 May), curated by architect, architecture lecturer and writer Lesley Lokko. Among the many benefits on offer is access to an exclusive discount on Biennale tickets.

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Culture at 360°

One of the features that makes this event stand out from the crowd is the adoption of a multidisciplinary model, which makes the Biennale a key event not only for art and architecture lovers, but also cinema, music, theatre and dance fans.

The Birth of the Venice Biennale

The Biennale finds its roots in 1895, when the first Biennial Art Exhibition in the world took place. At that time the main purpose was to support the art market and the artistic creativity in Venice and all over Italy. The Biennale was therefore born as an art exhibition, but during the 1900s it broadened its horizons to other disciplines and subjects by adding other festivals and exhibitions, in particular:
  • The International Festival of Contemporary Music (1930)
  • The International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art (1932)
  • The International Theatre Festival (1934)
  • The International Architecture Exhibition (1980)
  • The International Contemporary Dance Festival (1999)

The Biennale of Art and Architecture

The Biennale of Art and that of Architecture are those that literally gave the name to the event. They indeed used to take place every second year, biannually, indeed. The event mainly gravitates around the Napoleonic Gardens, in the Castello district. Here 29 pavilions are set up, each dedicated to a country, plus a Central Pavilion (formerly the Italian Pavilion). Since some year, the buildings of the Arsenale have also become part of the exhibition space of the event. Today the Biennale has approximately a 17000 m² exhibition area and it also includes separate, related events that take place in all the districts of Venice. The 18th International Architecture Exhibition will take place from 20 May to 26 November 2023.

The Venice Film Festival

It is the oldest film festival in the world and, for sure, the most prestigious one. It was held for the first time in 1932 and it immediately was successful. For this reason it was repeated on a yearly basis since 1935. Each year, the festival presents a rich program of international films and assigns to the winner the coveted prize of the Leone d'Oro. The red carpet of the Venice Lido thus welcomes some of the most appreciated international actors and directors. In 2022 it will take place at Venice Lido from 30 August to 9 September 2023.

Hotel Indigo Venice - Sant'Elena

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