Festa del Redentore occasions what one might perhaps call the most spectacular fireworks show in Venice. Held each year in mid July, precisely on the weekend which marks the middle of the month, this celebration has a religious coordinate, as well as an obviously secular one. Festa del Redentore started as a sign of gratitude from the part of the Venetians who saw their city delivered from the plague in 1576. The so-called Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore (Church of the Most Holy Redeemer) was also built subsequently to the plague, upon the commission of the Senate of the Republic of Venice.
The set of the happening is the San Marco basin. This is where the 60-minute firework show is put on, delighting the public who admires the illuminated sky from the lushly decorated boats. A traditional dinner is also held before the fireworks, and the show is followed by a boat procession to Lido di Venezia where the young in particular go in order to wait the break of dawn.
Other events occasioned by Festa del Redentore refer to music concerts, a religious mass held at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, as well as to several regattas (one organized for children).