Hello!
Can anyone give me any advise on the Las Fallas Festival? I am hoping to go next year (assuming they are back on their March 15-19 schedule). What are the best days to be there? We are including it in our trip to Spain and will be travelling to Barcelona, Granada and Seville as well. Thanks so much for any help!!
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2367 posts
I've been to Las Fallas twice, both times for a number of days because I was meeting a travel group I belong to.
It's interesting to go just before the festival starts to see the builds, and the burnings on the last day are possibly worth seeing. I have not stayed for the burnings, but others who did said it was intense and emotional.
There are parades of people in elaborate dress every day, and fireworks a number of nights. It's quite something!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15573 posts
When I was there, it got more crowded each day. I left late on the 17th.
Posted by
Austin, TX
1 posts
I will be in Valencia in September and discovered Las Falles will be held from Sept 1-5 this year (due to being cancelled in March), "health conditions permitting." I'll be staying just blocks away from Ayuntamiento Square--wonder if this would be a good time for a side trip to Barcelona or Mallorca?! Maybe come back in time for the final crema? The videos on YouTube of past events look amazing but I'm not sure I can handle 5 days of it! Also, I can't imagine being in that kind of crowd during COVID.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2367 posts
lwestcott
Welcome to the forum!
I don't have an answer to your question, but I suggest you start a new post, as the original poster will get an email every time somebody posts on their thread.
Posted by
Valencia Spain
37 posts
Fallas is crazy. It is something to see at least once. However, it is very noisy. It is a firecracker free for all. I agree with the earlier poster. Try to arrive at least a couple of days before the official start. We enjoy walking around in the days leading up to March 15th watching them set everything up. Valencia has a great city center to walk around even without Fallas going on. Once you hit March 15th it is impossible to move around the city easily due to the shear number of people in the streets. It is a major drinking event also with street parties run by the fallero commissions going on until late at night in many neighborhoods. There are something like 130 commissions throughout the city doing their thing. They all have a 20 piece horn band roaming around. Don't plan on getting any restful sleep. We don't watch the crema on the last night (19th). The kids usually have school the next day if the 20th is during the week. It is done around midnight and the burning of the big one in the town square is televised on local TV. To be honest many locals leave town for the festival because of the noise and craziness. It will be interesting to see how restrictions will impact the upcoming one in September.
Posted by
Valencia Spain
37 posts
Update on the COVID substitute Fallas that just ended 9/5. Not so many tourists this time around. Still nutty though. This is a good map of the monuments: https://www.levante-emv.com/fallas/2021/09/02/mapa-fallas-2021-valencia-donde-planta-cada-comision-monumento-56493096.html
This has the list of categories for the judging. http://www.cendradigital.com/2020/09/17/clasificacion-provisional-de-las-fallas-grandes-de-valencia-2021