The main cultural festivals of Valencia: Las Fallas

Valencia has a reputation for being a vibrant, youthful city full of culture and events, one that always leaves its visitors wanting more. If you enjoy music, you will find concerts and shows featuring all genres. For the more artistically inclined, there are galleries with classical and modern art throughout the city. Theatre, museums, bars… these are the daily rhythm of a city that gains more admirers by the day. And, above all, you must enjoy its most important cultural festivals and its greatest celebration: Las Fallas de Valencia.

It is undeniable that tourism in Valencia continues to grow, and one of the main reasons is its most famous local festival: Las Fallas. They are celebrated every year between the 15th and 19th of March, and tourists and locals alike can enjoy all the festivities right up until the 19th of March. That day sees the Cremà, the moment when these magnificent papier-mâché monuments disappear, consumed by the flames. The stars of this festival are fire, the ‘mascletàs’, the firework displays and the involvement of all the city’s residents, all blended with centuries of tradition. Are you really going to miss it?

History of Las Fallas

The origin of this festival dates back to the ancient tradition of the city’s carpenters, who on the eve of their patron saint’s day — St Joseph’s Day — would burn the useless junk accumulated throughout the year in front of their workshops, in the streets and public squares. For that reason, the day of the cremà (when the fallero monuments burn) always falls on the 19th, the Feast of St Joseph.

These early fallas evolved year after year, taking on a critical and ironic dimension by representing current social realities, until they became, as they are today, true ephemeral works of art with a built-in expiry date. It was in 1932 that Setmana Fallera (Fallas Week) was established and the festival became the greatest celebration of the Valencian Community. Today, more than 700 fallas of all sizes are burned, in the city of Valencia alone.

Reasons to visit Valencia during Las Fallas

Here are the main reasons why you should visit Valencia during its greatest festival at least once in your life. From the first day of March until the 19th, you can enjoy a truly spectacular sound show with the Mascletà in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, when the Valencians set off thousands of firecrackers that can reach 120 decibels!

The 15th brings the Plantà, another of the key days in this festival. It is a day of great activity; the falleros work day and night because the fallas that are «planted» in Valencia must be finished by the early hours of the 16th. On that day, the jury will award prizes to the best and choose the ‘ninot indultat’ — the only figure that will be spared from the flames on the 19th, during the Cremà. On the morning of the 17th, the falleras mayores and their commissions gather in procession at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to collect their respective prizes.

Later, in the early hours of the 18th, the Valencian night is filled with light and colour thanks to the hundreds of fireworks launched in a unique and spectacular display known as the ‘Nit del Foc’. Finally, and as the crowning moment of a festival that has it all, comes the day of the Cremà on 19th March. For this day, get comfortable and follow the full cremà route like a true Valencian: it begins at 10 o’clock at night with the burning of the children’s monuments, and at midnight the large fallas are burned, except for the first-prize winner which burns at 00:30. Finally, to close Las Fallas, the Ayuntamiento falla is burned at 1 o’clock in the morning.

Guide to your end-of-year trip to Valencia

Discover much more about Valencia and how to plan your end-of-year trip with the rest of our guide: activities, accommodation, must-see monuments, and more:

For more information about the possibilities for your end-of-year trip to Valencia, please contact us at info@natuaventura.com or by calling 91 714 06 36.