The countdown has started in Cortina for the most glamorous week of the year.
On December 6, the curtains will open on the 2019 edition of "Cortina Fashion Weekend", which through December 8 will transform the streets, shops, and public spaces of the Queen of the Dolomites into a "blender" of music, culture, fashion, late-night shopping, sport, and gala events, along with acrobats and skiers.
This is the event that opens the winter season in the mountain capital of Veneto, with a full programme across three days that will include inaugurations, presentations, performances, high-altitude selfies and lots of new features.
The event is being coordinated by the non-profit association "Cortina for Us", which is working to promote the area.
The 2019 edition, the event's ninth, includes many additional elements, such as IFashionGlobe - giant transparent igloos along Corso Italia, where visitors can have a drink, take a selfie, and admire everything new in this season's fashions, perhaps even under the falling snow.
For the occasion, the British recording label Rehegoo Music has created a dedicated soundtrack that will accompany all the activities throughout the weekend.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony and the Christmas lighting ceremony at the bell tower to kick off the event will take place on Friday afternoon at the Conchiglia complex in Piazza Angelo Dibona.
The morning of Saturday, December 4 will be dedicated to sport: fashion trends and new finds, technical materials and more for the 2019/2020 season.
Last year, the event "CortinaFashionWeekendSport" was launched, and it will take place again at this year's edition in the Sport Village on Mount Faloria, where visitors will be able to try the latest in innovative materials for skiing and increasingly high performance on the slopes.
The sportiest visitors can try their hand at a ski and snowboarding competition, Border Cross, with new technical materials.
The official mascot of the 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships in Cortina, "Corty", will also be present on the high peaks.
Down in the valley, the vertical dance company "Il Posto" will perform.
It's the first dance company in Italy to specialise in performances that bring together architecture and landscape, developed around the drama of the shows.
The stage will be set at a symbolic Cortina location: the bell tower of the basilica of Santi Filippo e Giacomo.
When the sun sets, there will be show inaugurations, cocktails, and parties, and "CFW" will transform into a chance to connect with fashion.
"Fashion Night" will allow visitors to do some late-night shopping along the streets of Cortina, which will become much like an open-air runway.
One of the most highly anticipated parties is the one at the Grand Hotel Savoia, the Enrosadira Dinner, inspired by the breathtaking sunsets of the Dolomites.
Other new additions to this year's event include a charity ski race that will take place on Sunday morning at the Socrepes ski area.
Well-known figures from the big and small screen, both actors and athletes, will strap on their skis for a giant slalom in "Ski-Actors".
The project was created by Roberto Ciufoli and Antonello Liberatore with the aim of tying the passion for skiing to that of charity.
Participants who are already confirmed include Roberto Ciufoli, who will be wearing the number 1; Simone Colombari; Roberta Beta; Marco Bonini; Max Paiella; Fabio Ferrari; Antonello Liberatore; and Paolo Genovese.

In collaboration with:
Provincia di Belluno e Consorzio DMO Dolomiti