Fallas of Valencia | Valencia
Celebration
Valencia welcomes spring with the Fallas, where people prepare large, short-lived papier-mâché figures for months to burn.
The Fallas is Valencia's most international festival, and during the week of March 19, the city is filled with art, with giant papier-mâché figures of whimsical and ingenious ninots. The main event usually takes place during the week of the 19th, but Valencia starts setting off fireworks from March 1st to add to the festive mood. Every afternoon at 14:00, fireworks are set off in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento until March 15, when the traditional installation of the Fallas models, known locally as plantà, begins.
Over 700 Fallas models are erected in the streets and squares of the city throughout the night. Some of the models need to be installed several days in advance, as some of the huge models can reach 20 meters high. On the morning of the 16th, all kinds of funny and satirical images miraculously appear on the streets of Valencia, which criticize politicians, celebrities or allude to current major events with great humor. People can enjoy these amazing scenes in the following days until the cremà on the evening of the 19th and 20th, when people will burn these Fallas models and the huge doll images will be reduced to ashes in the magical scene of fire, music and fireworks. Only one ninot Fallas model survived, and the people voted not to burn it and put it on display in the Fallas Museum.
There are other highlights in the Fallas Festival, such as the flower offering to the Virgin Mary, which is an event organized by the various Fallas committees on March 17 and 18. People will hold parades and offer flowers to the patron saint. The flower offering altar is as high as 14 meters. In addition, banquets, float parades, bullfighting activities, competitions and other games will be open during the Fallas Festival.