Las Fallas Fiesta of Valencia is one of the most underrated fiestas in Spain. While tourists flock to Spain for the Tomatina and other fiestas, not many people outside of Spain are familiar with Las Fallas.
The Fallas are celebrating the coming of spring on March 19 and Saint Joseph’s day. Burning the old and welcoming the new. Las Fallas takes place through 1-19 of March, but the most important acts are taking place from 15-19 of March.
During 15-19 of March the city becomes super busy as lots of people come to see the festivities. The prices sky-rocket and triple during this time. Make sure you book your hotel many months in advance if you plan a visit.
The tradition of Las Fallas Fiesta of Valencia
The tradition of Las Fallas Fiesta of Valencia comes from many years ago. On Saint Jose’s day the carpenters of the town were burning old and unusable junk in front of their workshops and in the public plazas. That’s why the day of La Cremà (The Burning in English), when the Fallas sculptures get burned, always coincides with Saint Jose’s day.
Las Fallas Fiesta of Valencia today
While the Fallas from centuries ago were just flammable junk, the Fallas of today are beautiful colourful sculptures that are criticising in a humorous way the contemporary social problems. A new line of work emerged and now there are artists and craftsman specialised in designing the sculptures. They are working throughout the year in creating the best works of art. In Valencia you also see the Casales, which are different associations houses for the different Fallas. They are holding activities throughout the year, preparing for the main event.
What to expect in Las Fallas Fiesta
The Fallas are being mounted and displayed throughout the city at major intersection. There are more than 700 hundred of them, and some are as tall as a 4 storey building! Each Casal Fallero has one main Falla Monument/Sculpture and another one smaller for kids.
On 16th of March at 8 am the Fallas sculptures need to be finished and ready for the jury. The jury will prize the best Fallas in different categories of competition. So the day before the jury you can see them being given the last finishing paint strokes.
Once the Fallas artworks are finished most streets in Valencia are partially closed and become pedestrian. People walk from sculpture to sculpture contemplating the stories they depict, while enjoying a hot chocolate with bunyols – a traditional snack during the festivities. I wish that the Fallas had more translations in English so that foreign tourists would understand the critique they are portraying. But nonetheless it’s very interesting to look at them, as it’s something unique that you won’t see anywhere else.
Expect during the days of Las Fallas to see crowds of people in the street, celebrating with food and drinks. At night some of the streets become an open-air disco with loud music and people dancing until around 4am.
While the beautiful sculptures are the focus of the celebration, there are many more events happening these days. You can see parades with traditional costumes, charangas (percussion band), paella cooking in the street, music, etc. The most essential events are: The Ninot Exposition, the Plantà, the Mascleta, the Cavalcades (Parades), the fireworks and Nit de Foc and the offering of flowers to the Virgin.
You can see here the schedule of the main events from Las Fallas of 2019.
The Plantà
The Plantà marks the starting of the celebrations from 15-16 of March. This is when the sculptures are assembled together at the corner of the streets.
The sculptures for the children need to be all up and ready by 15th in the morning. The jury will visit each one and choose the ones that are be award winners in different categories and which one will be saved from burning. The main sculptures still have time until midnight of the same day, to add the final touches.
The jury will choose the best sculptures for both children and main sections. These will be burned last on the night of La Cremà (last night of festivities).
The Ninot Exposition
Every year the jury commission is deciding to save some of the sculptures, also called ninots, from getting burned. The saved artworks are available for viewing in the Museu Faller de Valencia all year round. You can find here all the pardoned ninots from each year.
The Flower Offering to the Virgin (Ofrenda)
Each Fallas clubs/commissions are parading the streets of Valencia on the 17-18th of March. The parades are starting from their neighbourhoods fallas and heading towards the Plaza de la Virgen in the center of the city. Some of them will walk quite a few kilometres to arrive, depending how far their Falla is located.
They are carrying flowers to be offered to the Virgin de los Desamparados, the patron of the city. With these flowers they are decorating the cape of the wooden sculpture of the Virgin. After the 2 days the cape is complete and an impressive view.
The Mascleta, a pyrotechnical choreography
The Mascleta starts on 1st of March until 19th of March, every day at 2pm in the Plaza de Ayuntamento (City Hall). But the best pyrotechnical shows are on the last 3 days of the fiesta, from 15-19 March.
Mascleta is a pyrotechnic gun powder explosion show. You can hear the explosions from kilometres away. And when you are close to it, you can smell the gun powder and feel the vibrations throughout all your body. Word of advice is to bring earplugs with you!
During these days the Plaza de Ayuntamento has a huge number of people attending. If you wish to see the show up close you should come a couple of hours before to have a beer and reserve your spot in the vicinity. Another option that gives you access to some of the best views, is to reserve a balcony well in advance in one of the plaza buildings. The balcony spots sell pretty fast and they can get quite expensive, surpassing 100 Euros. They usually include some snacks and a drink.
If you don’t like huge crowds of people, then you can also attend mascletas next to most fallas. These mascletas are smaller but they still make your body shake with the vibrations of the explosions.
The Cavalcades
Throughout the celebrations there will be parades. Different Fallas associations “casals” will wear their costumes and will carry decorated chariots and ride horses. And each casal has its own band of musicians playing music and percussion in their parades.
The one parade that stands out for me, is the Cavalcada del Foc, which in Valencian means the Fire Parade. It starts on 19th of March at 7pm and its focus is fire and pyrotechnical displays. This parade announces that in the evening all the sculptures will be burned.
The fireworks and Nit de Foc
During the celebrations at midnight you can see fireworks at the Alameda metro station. If you go in that general area, especially from the Puente de las Flores, you can get an excellent view. This whole area will get very crowded as midnight approaches. The earlier you arrive the better spot you can have. I suggest you go around or just after 11pm if you want to get a good place.
On the 18th of March the Nit de Foc is celebrated. Nit de Foc in Valencian means Night of Fire. This night has the best display of fireworks and is also the last night when you can see them. This time they will start around 1:30 am and they will last the longest and have the best pyrotechnical choreography.
La Cremà
The Las Fallas festivities are culminating on the night of 19th of March when all the sculptures, except the saved ones, are burned in the fire. The fire fighters are spraying the buildings at the corners of the streets for safety. Imagine every few streets there’s a huge bonfire throughout all the city, it’s really impressive!
My impressions of the Las Fallas Fiesta
If you are an expat living in Spain, or just visiting during March, I highly recommend you come to Valencia for the festivities. However, don’t forget you will have to book your stay months in advance. I wanted to attend a couple of years ago when I was living in a small Spanish town, but the accommodation prices were ridiculous.
Be prepared for lots of tourists and locals especially in the evenings and at the main events of the celebrations. Firecrackers and explosives are sold in every neighbourhood. The streets get loud and the party lasts until the late hours in the night.
If you are not a fan of big crowds you should still come and admire the sculptures during the day when there are not so many people. You can also rent a balcony to see the main Mascleta in the City Hall plaza. And you will have an experience to remember.
Have you attended a Fallas of Valencia fiesta before? What are your thoughts on it? Would love to hear other’s opinions.