Every March, Valencia turns into a city of fire, noise, and oversized art for Las Fallas, the explosive festival that welcomes spring. For a few days, streets fill with nonstop firecrackers and towering papier-mâché figures, bonfires light up the night, and the city is taken over by a healthy dose of Spanish party spirit.
Las Fallas isn’t just any popular festival. This one-of-a-kind event blends folklore and creativity in such a unique way that it has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage—just one more reason to start planning your next trip to Spain.
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What are Las Fallas de Valencia?
Las Fallas is an annual festival held in the beautiful coastal city of Valencia. It’s one of the most popular festivals in Spain, attracting millions of visitors every year.
Its origins trace back to an old tradition among local carpenters, who would burn the wood torches used to light their workshops during winter, on the night of Saint Joseph. Over time, this tradition blended with religious celebration and other popular customs, evolving into the large-scale festival you can enjoy today.
Fallas, in Castilian Spanish, or falles in Valencian (the local language), are also the massive papier-mâché sculptures installed in the city’s squares during the celebration. Local artists create around 700 to 800 of these towering monuments every year, including fallas mayores (the main monuments) and fallas infantiles (designed especially for children). These works of art are an assembly of many satirical figures called ninots (dolls), and have a central role in the festival’s finale, when they are burned in massive bonfires throughout the city.
Where are Las Fallas celebrated?
The festival takes place in several neighborhoods across Valencia. The papier-mâché monuments are installed in the main squares, and every day you can find activities and parades through the streets.
Two locations play a central role in the festivities:
- Plaça de l’Ajuntament (Plaza del Ayuntamiento): It’s the Town Hall Square, where the daily firecracker show and the grand finale take place.
- Plaça de la Mare de Déu (Plaza de la Virgen): home to the symbolic flower offering event.
When is the festival held?
The main celebrations of Las Fallas are between March 15, when the papier-mâché monuments are installed, and March 19, the feast day of Saint Joseph.
Key events of Valencia’s Las Fallas
To enjoy this experience like a local, get ready for a packed schedule. There are plenty of official celebrations, and you can find casales in almost every street (the headquarters of each Fallas commission), which usually hosts many activities.
Below are the most important and popular events worth planning ahead for if you want a good spot.
La despertà and la crida (end of February)
The festival starts building momentum on the last Sunday of February with two key events:
- La despertá (the waking up): Early in the morning, falleros groups set off firecrackers on the streets, making as much noise as possible to wake up the city. This call is the unofficial signal that the celebrations are about to begin.
- La crida (the call): Dressed in their elaborate traditional costumes, the fallera mayor and the fallera mayor infantil (the adult and child “queens” of the annual festival) invite locals to join the incoming Fallas in a large evening event held at the Torres de Serranos, featuring music, performances, and speeches.
La mascletà (March 1 to 19)
Firecracker shows are a long-standing tradition in Valencia and a constant during Las Fallas.
Starting on March 1, every day at 2:00 p.m., the city hosts la mascletà, where hundreds of firecrackers (masclets in Valencian) are carefully arranged to create a sequence of increasingly powerful explosions. The sound and rhythm build to a loud finale that creates a vibration called terremoto (earthquake), which you can literally feel in the ground and in your chest.
La plantà and l’albà (March 15 and 16)
This is where the magic truly begins. March 15 marks la plantà, the day when the ninots, the individual figures that make up each falla, are assembled into the full monuments, transforming the city into an open-air workshop.
That same night, the city celebrates l’albà (the dawn) of Las Fallas with a big fireworks display in Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Ofrenda de las flores (March 17 and 18)
Ofrenda de las flores means “offering of flowers,” an event closely tied to the religious side of the festival. It usually begins in the afternoon with a long parade making its way to Plaza de la Virgen. Here, thousands of participants gather around a towering structure of the Virgen de los Desamparados (Virgin Mary of the Forsaken), Valencia’s protector. One by one, they place flowers onto the structure, gradually creating a stunning, colorful floral gown for the Virgin. The ceremony concludes after midnight on the second day, when the fallera mayor places the last flower.
The celebration continues late into the night with yet another spectacular fireworks show known as nit del foc (meaning noche del fuego = the night of fire).
La cremà (March 19)
The final day of Las Fallas features its most dramatic and unforgettable moment: La cremà, which literally means “the burning.” Starting at around 8:00 p.m., hundreds of fallas across the city are set on fire, beginning with the children’s monuments and ending with the most important falla in Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
This is the most anticipated event of the entire festival. It draws massive crowds and lasts several hours, but with a bit of planning and smart timing, you can attend more than one bonfire in different parts of the city.
Five must-know tips for Las Fallas visitors
Valencia is a relatively quiet town, but everything changes when Las Fallas begins, and there’s something new to discover around every corner. If you’re nailing down your trip itinerary, here’s everything you need to know to make the most of your time at the festival.
1. Know the schedule
The festival follows a fairly structured calendar that remains mostly unchanged from year to year. Still, there’s a lot going on, and the schedule does change. To make sure you’re always in the right place at the right time, check the official events calendar on Valencia’s tourism website.
2. Get a Valencia Tourist Card
The festival schedule will have you moving all over the city, so a tourist card is worthwhile. It includes unlimited public transportation, free entry to several museums, and discounts on more than 130 local services.
3. Arrive early to major events
Big events mean big crowds. Try to arrive as early as possible to secure a good spot or guaranteed access—for example, events like la mascletà have limited capacity for safety reasons. Bringing snacks, grabbing a drink, and people-watching can make the wait part of the fun.
4. Bring earplugs
Fireworks happen almost every night. Unless you’re a very heavy sleeper, earplugs are essential. If you’re sensitive to loud noises, it’s also a good idea to carry them during the day. Also, noise-canceling headphones are highly recommended if you’re traveling with little kids.
5. Visit the Museo Fallero (Fallas Museum)
The Fallas Museum, dedicated entirely to the festival, is open year-round and pairs perfectly with the street celebrations. It offers great insight into how the festival has evolved over time. Admission is just €2, and it’s free for visitors under 16, making it a great value-for-money.
Essential Spanish vocabulary for Las Fallas
Valencia has two official languages: Castellano (Castilian Spanish or simply Spanish), the national language of Spain, and Valenciano (Valencian), a regional language.
As a very tourist-friendly city with a large international community, Valencia is easy to navigate even if you don’t speak Valencian. However, Las Fallas is a deeply local and traditional festival, and many of the terms associated with it come from Valencian rather than standard Spanish.
Here is a quick list of essential words to help you understand locals. Maybe even try using a few expressions while you’re there.
- Falla/Falles (Valencian) → Falla/Fallas (Spanish)
- The large papier-mâché monuments displayed around the city, set on fire at the end of the festival. Fallas mayores are the main ones and can reach 100 feet tall, while fallas infantiles typically range from 6 to 13 feet tall.
- Faller/Fallers (Valencian) → Fallero/Falleros (Spanish)
- Male members of local neighborhood associations who actively take part in the festival. The word is also used as an adjective to describe anything related to Las Fallas.
- Fallera/Falleres (Valencian) → Fallera/Falleras (Spanish)
- Female members of the same associations. The traditional costumes they wear are highly elaborate and can be very expensive, with prices ranging from around €2,000 (about $2,200) for simpler outfits to over €18,000 (nearly $20,000) for the most intricate designs.
- Ninot/Ninots (Valencian)
- Literally “dolls” or “puppets,” ninots are the individual figures that make up a falla. They are often satirical or political, but some are more playful and cartoon-like.
- Ninot indultat (Valencian) → Ninot indultado (Spanish)
- The figure voted by locals to be spared from the final burning. All the ninots indultats (pardoned ninots) from past editions are displayed at the Fallas Museum in Valencia.
- Nit (Valencian) → Noche (Spanish) = night
- Many major events take place in the late afternoon, so you’ll often hear locals saying expressions such as la nit del foc (Night of Fire), la nit de la cremà (the night of the burning), and other nighttime celebrations.
- Revetla (Valencian) → Verbena (Spanish)
- This is a folkloric street celebration or party held on the eve of an important holiday featuring music, food, and a lively neighborhood atmosphere.
- Traca (Valencian and Spanish)
- A set of firecrackers or rockets, slightly smaller than a mascletà, connected together and set off at ground level or mid-air. This event is so popular that the expression esto es de traca (it’s a traca) has entered Spanish idioms to describe something exaggerated, surprising, or incredible.
Now that you’ve got the basics, make sure to practice a few food-related words in Spanish, too: Valencia is full of local delicacies that you’ll want to try!
Traditional Spanish food to try during Las Fallas
Valencia is a fantastic city for food lovers. It’s the birthplace of the famous paella valenciana, so this is a great opportunity to learn how to order food in Spanish and try the real deal at a local restaurant.
Beyond paella, Las Fallas is the perfect time to try a variety of other local treats and sweets:
- Horchata and fartons: Horchata is a cold drink made from chufa (tiger nuts) and is very popular during spring and summer. It is usually paired with long, soft, sweet pastries called fartons for dipping.
- Buñuelos de calabaza (pumpkin fritters): Lightly sweetened and dusted with sugar, or filled, buñuelos are a classic street-food snack during Las Fallas.
- Xocolatà (hot chocolate) with churros or porras: If it’s a cold March, there’s nothing better to warm up. Traditional Spanish hot chocolate is thick and delicious, and usually served with crispy fried dough called churros, thin and crunchy, or porras, thicker and fluffier.
- Esmorzaret (small lunch): Called almuerzo in Spanish, it is a traditional Valencian mid-morning snack that can be a late, hearty breakfast or a light meal. Originally, the esmorzaret was a field workers’ food break, but today it’s celebrated in bars and restaurants throughout the city. Typical offerings include toasted bread, cured meats, cheeses, fried eggs, and the famous Valencian sandwiches.
- Cacaus and tramussos (peanuts and lupin beans): A common snack or aperitif, often enjoyed with drinks during the festival. In Spanish, they are called cacahuetes and atramuces.
- Cremaet: This is how Valencians end a good esmorzaret. A black coffee, sugar, rum, and citrus cocktail, flambéed before serving. It’s definitely strong and unforgettable!
Frequently asked questions about Las Fallas festival
Still have some doubts? Below are answers to some of the most common questions travelers have before experiencing the festival or traveling to Valencia for the first time.
Why is it called Fallas?
The word fallas comes from the ancient Latin facŭla, meaning “small torch.” In Valencian, the term originally referred to the dry wood and branches used by local carpenters to light their workshops during winter.
On the night of Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters, this leftover wood was burned in the streets. Over time, this tradition of lighting bonfires evolved, and the word fallas came to describe the large papier-mâché monuments that are burned each year during the festival of the same name.
Can I visit Las Fallas if I don’t speak the local language?
Absolutely. Most locals speak Valencian and Spanish, but the city center is very touristic and multicultural, so you’ll find plenty of people who speak English.
That said, starting to learn Spanish, the official language of the country, can make you feel more confident and enjoy the experience in a more authentic and rewarding way.
Do you have to pay to see Las Fallas?
No. All the main street events, parades, and fireworks are free to attend. You only need to pay if you want to participate as a fallero or fallera, which involves joining a local association.
Is Las Fallas worth it?
Yes. Las Fallas is a unique opportunity to experience a more authentic side of Spanish culture. The events are spectacular and blend tradition, religion, and party in a way you won’t find anywhere else. However, be prepared for large crowds, street closures in the city center, and slightly higher accommodation prices, as this is considered high season.
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