Fallas of Valencia: a guide to the festival

What are the Fallas?

A falla is an ephemeral monument made of wood, cardboard, cork and other materials that the fallas commissions —neighbourhood associations— put up in the street. They are large works, often satirical, poking fun at political and social affairs, and they compete against each other organised into sections and categories according to their budget and quality.

Each commission actually builds two monuments: the big (adult) falla and a smaller children's falla. They are made up of ninots, the figures that make up the scene. After several days on display and judged, almost all of them burn in the cremà; only one ninot is saved each year, the ninot indultat, chosen by public vote, which becomes part of the Fallas Museum.

When are the Fallas?

The main week of the Fallas runs from 15 to 19 March, but the festival is lived throughout the month. From 1 March the daily mascletà takes place at 2 pm in the Town Hall square, and the city already breathes fallas atmosphere with street parties, parades and gunpowder.

The calendar has fixed dates each year: the previous weekend brings the Crida (the opening proclamation), the plantà leaves the monuments finished in the early hours of 15-16 March, the Flower Offering fills the centre on the 17th and 18th, and the Nit del foc lights up the sky on the night of the 18th to 19th. Everything ends with the cremà on the night of 19 March.

Main events of the Fallas

• Mascletà: a daytime display of gunpowder and rhythm, every day at 2 pm in the Town Hall square throughout March. More than seen, it's felt in your chest.
• Crida: the opening ceremony at the Serranos Towers that calls the city to the festival.
• Plantà: the final assembly of the monuments; by the early hours of 15-16 March the fallas are standing in every street.
• Flower Offering: on the 17th and 18th, thousands of falleros parade to offer bouquets to the Virgin of the Forsaken and form her mantle in the square.
• Nit del foc: the great fireworks display, the most impressive of the year, in the early hours of 18-19 March.
• Cremà: the burning of all the monuments on the night of the 19th; the children's falla burns first, then the adult one and, last of all, the Town Hall falla.

Fallas glossary

• Ninot: each of the figures that make up a falla.
• Ninot indultat: the ninot the public saves from the cremà each year; it's kept in the Fallas Museum.
• Casal: a fallas commission's social premises.
• Fallera major: the representative of each commission (and the Fallera Major of Valencia, for the whole city).
• Plantà / Cremà: to put up (assemble) and to burn the monuments.
• Special section: the top category, where the biggest and most spectacular fallas compete.

Tips for experiencing the Fallas

These are days of crowds, firecracker noise and closed streets, so go with comfortable shoes, patience and no rush. For the mascletà, arrive early at the Town Hall square or find an adjacent street; the sound reaches you just the same with less crush. Protect little ones' ears from the gunpowder noise.

Public transport is your best ally: the centre is pedestrianised and parking is almost impossible, so get around by metro, bus or on foot. Check the transport map for the lines still running and avoid the car. For the cremà, choose in advance which falla you want to see burn and stand a safe distance from the safety barrier.

How to see the Fallas on the map

On ConoceValencia's Fallas map you can locate every monument in the city with its commission, section, motto, artist, fallera major and sketch. That way you find which fallas are closest, which ones compete in the special section, and you can plan a route to see them without wasting time, all free and with no sign-up.