Amalfi, with its beaches and the mountain towns and lime and orange groves is a paradise on earth. February is pleasantly warm in Amalfi and therefore the festivities begin. Poised on the threshold of spring, the people and the atmosphere begin to get a special spark. That is when some of the local youngsters as early as 1999, thought of celebrating the end of the cold winter and the coming of spring.

They made the streets of Amalfi colorful with all kinds of festivities, concerts and processions. What started as a local spring celebration later took up incredible dimensions and now it is one of the most colorful February events in Italy. The weather, together with the fabulous beaches, attract a large number of tourists to Amalfi during the month of February. Now the Grand carnival that starts at the end of January is the main attraction.

A present, the preparations for the 43^rd Grand Carnival of Amalfi is in progress. It is scheduled from 31^st January to 14^th February.

The first event is the opening of the synthetic ice skating rink in the waterfront. It is mainly for the enjoyment of children. It will stay open till 14^th February. On the 31^st of January the Carnival for Children opens. Various shows and performances are roped in to mark the occasion. Children also get a chance to showcase their talents on this occasion.

From 6^th 8^th February another grand entertainment for children is planned for this year. It is called “Amalfi coast family village”. It is going to be an extraordinary installation consisting of inflated structures.

This year the Italian Postal system is expected to bring out a stamp to commemorate the occasion. They are also planning to issue post cards on the occasion. This magnificent act on the part of the postal department will make this year’s carnival a special one.

1 1^th and 12^th February are two days you should not miss this year. These are the days the School of Music Maiori conducts the traditional carnival concert at Palazzo Mezzacapo.

The high light of the carnival will be the 7^th, 9^th and 14^th of February. On these days the grand precessions of floats will be conducted through various main streets of Amalfi. This will heighten the true spirit of the carnival. The floats usually are extremely colorful and spectacular in their creations and ideas conveyed. People turn out in large numbers wearing whimsical costumes and masks. This year also the grand carnival of Amalfi is expected to be an extremely colorful affair.

As usual, large scale preparations are going on to make the grand Carnival of Amalfi a bigger success than former years. The builders, performing artists and other troupes and local groups are engaged in serious ground work. The 2015 carnival has brought in a lot of awards and recognitions.

by Marina Chernyak