( CNN ) -- Every spring Halloween meets haute couture at the Carnival of Venice . Culminating March 4 after nearly a month of masked frivolity , Italy 's most popular festival draws up to three million visitors annually . Wearing feathered headdresses , flowing capes and , most importantly , a bevy of bejeweled masks , they enjoy a giant masquerade party that spills onto the streets and into the canals . The Piazza San Marco is the epicenter of the action , especially during preliminary rounds of the Maschera più bella contest for the best masked costume . Every day dozens of masked contestants stomp down the runway of the Gran Teatro , a temporary outdoor theater , hoping to make the grand final . Costumes skew toward the elaborate , with men and women dressed as brightly-colored court jesters , kabuki princesses , and glittering animals . Regardless of the outfit , Venetian masks—a symbol of the city and a focal point of the carnival—are essential to any winning ensemble . During the final , contestants pout and vogue in front of an international panel of costume , fashion and mask designers . Among them is Stefano Nicolao , one of Venice 's most esteemed costume designers , who has dressed Hollywood stars for films including `` Elizabeth '' and `` Pirates of the Caribbean . '' He does not approach his responsibilities as a juror lightly . `` The theme of the mask is absolutely essential to help your imagination arrive at what I call the dream , '' he says . `` For me , emotion must emanate through the costume and the person who wears it . There must be beauty , originality , an explosion of color . '' Given the complexity of Nicolao 's criteria , there is no formula for success . Last year the Italian artist Anna Marconi won the contest on her 17th try . Dressed as a sumptuous doll , she offered a high-fashion take on the toy box . The 2012 winners—a group of five men and women from Germany—wore billowing pink and purple dresses with matching masks . They appeared to be masquerading as Marie Antoinette 's tea servants . Read more : The world 's most colorful carnival celebrations . A history of craftsmanship . The origins of the masked carnival remain a mystery , though it 's often said the festival first appeared in the 12th century to celebrate a military victory . Today the city uses the carnival to showcase Venetian culture , which includes a long and proud history of mask masking . Artisans have passed down mask making skills over successive generations . As a child Maximiliano Gimenez learned the craft from his uncle . Today he runs Blue Moon Venice , an atelier and retailer . He and his 15 artisans produce roughly 15,000 Venetian masks per year and are currently training two young apprentices . Some of his staff have been making masks for more than twenty years . The `` Volto Piume '' ( Feather face ) , one of his most ornate masks , retails from €200 . Starting with a paper mache base , artisans apply a thin layer of paint that cracks to give the mask an antique look . They then adorn it with lace sourced in Venice , and finish it with gold leaf and Swarovski crystals . `` At the end it is encircled with two layers of real cock feathers in different colors , '' Gimenez says . `` We only use natural colors , of course . '' Read more : This is the eerie , beautiful world of aquascaping . Unmasking the mind . The enduring popularity of masks does n't stem merely from their beauty . It also stems from the freedom that comes with hiding who you are—or at least who people think you should be . Carla Almanza-de Quant , an artist and Venetian mask maker in California , has clients all over the world . They call on her to create gorgeous masks that will turn heads and break the ice . `` Once you put on a mask you 're cheerful , you 're playful , you 're a more wonderful you , '' she says . `` You become a fantasy character and you interact with others in a more outgoing way . The real mask is the one we put on every day because society tells you how to do this , and how to do that . '' Read more : Life of a muse : What is it like to inspire art as a living ? Chinese rivals ? The global interest in masks is n't waning , and mass retailers are keen to tap into the market . Target invites customers to `` make a dramatic entrance to your next masquerade ball '' with its $ 18.49 Venetian Mask with Headpiece in polyester . Walmart sells a $ 9.99 Venetian Raven Adult Halloween Mask in plastic with `` a unique crackle finish . '' The arrival of cheap , mass-produced masks from China has created new frustrations for Venice 's mask makers . Chinese manufacturers sometimes try to sell their products under the brand `` Made in Italy '' , and attach labels that wrongly say they were made by hand in Venice . The influx of low-quality masks , which retail for a few dollars , also distorts the expectations of consumers who begin to question why authentic Venetian masks can cost several hundred euros . Gimenez of Blue Moon Venice believes his masks carry the soul of the city with them . `` Those who want to buy mass-produced plastic should not come to us , '' he says . `` Our customers receive something original and unique , created by artisans with passion and love . ''
The Carnival of Venice attracts around three million visitors every year . The Best Venetian Costume Contest features wacky costumes and haute couture . Venetian mask designers charge thousands of euros for their most lavish masks .