How to Make the Most of Las Fallas in Valencia

For two weeks before Las Fallas officially begins, there are huge firework displays called mascletàs held outside the Town Hall in the middle of the afternoon – which is fine, because they’re all about noise rather than color. These much-anticipated events officially start on March 1, but since people really can’t wait, the city is starting to put on firework displays from February 25 this year. Be warned: the crowds at these events are huge. If you’ve got deep pockets, or are lucky enough to make local friends who can hook you up, the show is best enjoyed from one of the many balconies of homes and office buildings overlooking the huge Town Hall square, Plaça de l’Ajuntament.

This is the elaborate opening ceremony, held on the last Sunday in February. The landmark Serranos Towers are lit up in a show of light, sound, music and pyrotechnics, and the whole world is officially invited to join the party by the city authorities and the Fallas Queen. Expect huge crowds around the towers and a very lively atmosphere.

If you’re in Valencia before Las Fallas begins, you can still get involved and see some of the ninots, or figures that make up the Fallas monuments, at this exhibition. These unique sculptures are each made of a wooden frame covered in cartón piedra (literally “stone cardboard”, something similar to papier mâché) and then carefully, and usually elaborately painted. Some are beautiful, some are sweet, yet more are satirical takes on current events – you’ll see local and national politicians and celebrities, as well as international figures. On March 15, the day of the Plantà, they’ll be collected and displayed on the streets. You can vote for your favorite, and the most popular will be saved from the flames on March 19, going instead to the Fallas Museum (see below). From February 3 until March 15, at the Science Museum (part of the City of Arts and Sciences).

Learn about everything related to the festival through photographs and other memorablia at the Fallas Museum, not far from the City of Arts and Sciences. You can also see the colorful collection of ninots which, since 1934, have been saved by popular vote (see the ninots exhibition, above). If you’re interested in learning more about the craftsmanship and artistry of the professionals who make the figures, visit the Museum of the Guild of Fallas Artists.

This is when the real party begins. Artists take their finished Fallas monuments, complete with ninots, posters and any other details, and leave them on display on the streets of the city for the public to enjoy. The city temporarily becomes an outdoor art gallery and the Fallas week begins. Take some time to explore the city streets on foot, as you never know what you’ll come across.

Every small neighborhood has its own Falla, or fallas organisation, responsible for organizing festival events in their area. There are 380 organizations in total, so that’s a lot of parties. In the central areas of the city you’ll find “special” fallas who organize the biggest and most spectacular events, although these are also the most crowded. As you make your way through the city center you’ll find endless bonfires, street parties, food trucks, mobile discos and other goings-on at every turn. For organized concerts and live music events, check out the official events schedule online, in English.

No festival in Valencia would be complete without delicious food. You’ll find paella cooking competitions in the streets, plus Las Fallas marks the beginning of spring, which is the time to eat churros with chocolate. These famous sweet snacks are loved all over Spain. But if you’re in Valencia you have to try the more local buñuelos. Much like churros, they’re deliciously sinful, fried, sugary snacks, but these are made with pumpkin. If you want to know exactly what the difference is you’ll just have to try both. You’ll find food trucks selling them all over the city during the festival.

After the mascletàs have ended, there’s no shortage of fireworks. The most spectactacular of these is held on the final nights of Las Fallas, and is known as the Nit del Foc in Valencian, or “night of fire.” This is a prelude to the main event of the festival: the Cremá.

All the months of painstaking preparation and weeks of fireworks and parties have been building up to this day; the grand finale of Las Fallas. At midnight, the giant wooden Fallas figures are burned in the street, lighting up the city in a blaze of light and heat. The smaller, children’s figures are burned earlier in the evening, in streets and squares all over the city.

After the main festival ends, the members of the Fallas organizations put on their traditional costumes again for this parade. Flower offerings are made to the statue of the Virgen de los Desamperados (“Our Lady of the Forsaken”), whose huge statue is found in the middle of the square named after her in the city center.