Las Fallas: Valencia's Festival of Fire

In March every year Valencia in Spain is a destination tourists from all around Europe flock to. It is for the spectacular Festival of Fire, known locally as Las Fallas. In all there are five days of celebrations culminating in a final night of fire. 
At the heart of the celebrations are brilliantly constructed papier maché sculptures which are created by each community in Valencia. Some depict children's characters other political, celebrity or even royal figures.

Many of the more extravagant can reach upto four of five stories high. The amount of work which go into taking them is there for all visitors to observe. 

Then on the final day of the celebration, these wonderful creations are set alight one by one. This normally begins at night fall but can last last until the early early hours of the following morning. There is a is schedule for the burnings so that visitors can be in the correct location. Be aware that the timings are not precise and some burnings will inevitably be delayed.


There are plenty of hotels to choose from in Valencia. I tend to choose the big hotels in the business district close to the extraordinary modernistic arts and sciences buildings which have become the face of Valencia. It takes 20-30 minutes to walk into the heart of old Valencia where more of the displays are on show or five to ten minutes on an inexpensive local bus service.


Before the burnings though, the Valencians pay a religious homage to the Virgin Mary. A huge state of the Madonna is located close to the cathedral Day by day is the festival goes on, carnation flowers are slotted into a frame work which becomes by the end of the week, a wonderful robe.

Spanish festivals would not be complete without a firework display, one of which, the Mascleta, takes place during the day.

It is certainly a noisy event and a video of it can be found at the end of the blog.

For me this is one of the great Spanish festivals. It has colour, elegance, comedy, heat and a lot of  fun. Try and add it to your bucket list.




Location: Valencia, Spain

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