Fallas | Valencia’s Biggest Festival

There is no festival bigger in Valencia than the Fallas (or Falles in the Valencian language). Or for that matter, and from what we’ve learned so far, no other festival in the world is as amazingly creative and imaginative! Every year in March, the entire city is overtaken by spectacular art installations that transform every neighborhood. It reaches beyond the city and is also celebrated in practically every town, large and small, throughout the community of Valencia. If you’ve never heard of it, be prepared to be astounded at what it entails. In the hopes of getting your attention, let’s start you out with one word – fire | fuego! Okay, let’s go from there.

Top Image – Image credit to City of Valencia

We’re going to be covering the Fallas 2016 for our first time, in both the community’s capital city of Valencia and in some of the smaller pueblos nearby, like our current home-base of Xeraco and the nearby towns of Tavernes del Valldigna and Gandia. This is a festival that is worked on year-round by the locals who are involved. It’s a deeply important tradition, involving artists and builders, the Falleras, and countless others.  The city and towns are overtaken by these celebrations, but not just for a day or two. We’re talking weeks here!

Above Image – Fallas Image credit to the City of Valencia.

This year’s events take place starting Sunday, February 28th with the Crida and go until March 19th. Starting March 1st, the Mascleta takes place every day at 2pm. Two of the most important datesare Tuesday, March 15th for the Plantà and the Cremà on the evening of Saturday, March 19th. We’re really getting excited, especially as creatives who love art, design, and of course Valencia. When we were last in Valencia around the beginning of February, we already saw evidence of the set-up beginning; mainly things like overhead, heavy-duty spotlights in areas where the fallamonuments and ninots are going to go.

So, get ready and excited with us for the celebratory noise, handmade larger-than-life magical characters, fireworks, food and drink, traditional garb, processions and parades, and of course, the ultimate climax of the whole festival – the burning of the fallas!

We look forward to bringing you more about the history, this year’s theme, and our own experiences of it first-hand. Goodness…we almost feel like we’re on the edge of ‘the rabbit hole’!

From our visit to the Fallas Museum in Valencia

Since writing this post, we’ve experienced three years of Fallas Festivals. Click here to read more!