On the third Sunday of July, the residents of Venice celebrate the "Festa del Redentore". If you enjoy fireworks, you're going to love this day. Starting in the morning, you can see people all over the city decorating their porches, balconies, and boats with flowers, balloons, and garlands. At sunset, the St. Mark's Bay begins to fill up with boats from all over Venice waiting for the festivities to begin. Starting at 11 p.m. the firework displays kick off and continue for the next 60 minutes. Pyrotechnic displays are launched from pontoons by the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Bacino di San Marco is the best place to watch the colorful spectacle. After the fireworks end, many spectators head to Lido Island where people sit on the sand and wait for the sunrise.
On a Saturday evening prior to Festa del Redentore, the locals also construct a temporary 333-m bridge, called Ponte Votivo. It connects the beautiful Church of the Redentore on the island of the Giudecca with the rest of Venice. The church was opened in 1592 to commemorate the end of plague epidemics. That was the first celebration of Festa del Redentore in Venice. Since then the special religious procession walks the bridge to the Redentore Church every year. Many people watch the ceremony from their boats or take part in large feasts organized right on the streets.
