My Life in Valencia

Well, another Fallas has come and gone, and I have to say this year was AMAZING and super fun. This year, one of my dearest friends, Liz, came to help me celebrate. And boy did we celebrate! We walked a total of 44 miles in 4 days averaging 25,889 steps and 11 miles per day. My feet were exhausted! For four days we immersed ourselves in everything Fallas from the beautiful and satirical Fallas themselves, to experiencing a time honoured tradition of a Mascletá, numerous fireworks, visiting the Offenda and seeing the numerous falleras and falleros,, eating lots of buñuelos and churros (with chocolate of course) and ending with the Crema of Exposición Falla. We also honoured our fathers as March 19 is Father’s Day in Spain and placed our own flowers at the Ofrenda. Truly an experience I will never forget. Here are some highlights!

Exposición Falla 2024

Exposición is the name of my neighbourhood. It is one of the 9 ¨Special¨ Fallas, which is one of saying one of the largest. Last year the Exposición Falla won first place in its category. This year, Exposición celebrated 75 years as a Falla and I thought for sure it would win again. Alas, it only got second place, but to me it was my favourite and the most spectacular. The theme this year was the Five Senses and it really really took you through all of them and even had beautiful calming music (very similar to what you hear here in the video) to help guide you through the experience. Enjoy this tribute to the Falla and its glory all the way through when it burns. A sad but inevitable ending.

Additional Highlights

In addition to the Exposición Falla, there were many more highlights. From walking around the city experiencing all the different Fallas, to the Mascletá above the Ayuntamiento, fireworks at night and the Ofrenda in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Pyrotechnics Galore

A Fallas isn’t a Fallas without its pyrotechnics. I don’t think I have ever seen a city so into pyrotechnics in my life. From March 1-19 there is a Mascleta every day in the main plaza which is essentially a huge noise and smoke show (with some color). Then there are fireworks at night as well that put our July 4th fireworks to shame. And of course there is the Crema on the last day which is when they burn ALL the 800 Fallas in the city. It’s truly like nothing I’ve ever seen. In addition, people throw firecrackers on a regular basis on their own, some of which sound like massive cars backfiring. That part I could certainly live without. But once Fallas ends it’s amazing how fast everything goes back to normal and peace and quiet. You would never guess Fallas even happened! Here are some examples of the Mascletá and Fireworks….

That’s a wrap! Such a fun Fallas. But now I´m ready for a long rest!:) See you next year!