My Life in Valencia

Follow Katie as she gets settled into life in Valencia, Spain

Highlights of Fallas 2025

Fallas 2025 has come and gone. In a previous post I commemorated the last day of Fallas on March 19. Although the 19th is the actual holiday, the days leading up to it is when everyone celebrates all the various Fallas structures in the city. The city becomes a big party in the streets. This year Fallas was dampened (at least for me) by the weather. Most of Fallas was wet, rainy and grey. It didn’t stop the most dedicated falleros…..it´s amazing how many came out despite the rain. But nonetheless it did seem there were fewer people out and about. And it also meant that there seemed to be fewer petardos (fire crackers) and therefore slightly more peaceful. Although by the end, I my ears were definitely grateful for the respite.

Not having my Fallas compañera Liz here to celebrate with, I didn’t do as much with Fallas this year. However, I did go out a little bit as one of my favourite parts are the Fallas statues themselves. I have discovered the best time to go is early the morning after all the Fallas have been erected. If you leave early in the morning by 9am you can get around to many of them and actually see them peacefully before the crowds arrive around noon.

As I mentioned in previous posts, this year the Dana, or the floods, took center stage. Many of the Ninots represented both the horrors of the day as well as the solidarity of the thousands of volunteers who helped. There were also quite a few commenting on the state of the world and politics as usual, both in Spain and world-wide. The winning Falla of the Special Section (the large Fallas) this year was the Convento Jerusalen-Matemático Marzal. It won the Gran Falla and the Falla Infantil as well as the Ninot Indultat (the Ninot that is saved from the fire). The main Falla was called ¨OR¨ , Gold. With a name like that how could anything else win but that? It was about 22 meters high and 24 meters wide (72 ft high by 78 feet wide) which is about 7 stories tall. It also cost an astounding 250,000 euros. Unbelievable.

Exposición Falla, my neighbourhood

DANA Examples

The Winning Falla and the Infantil

Other Favourite Fallas Moments

kikirwin

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One response to “Highlights of Fallas 2025”

  1. Jacqueline Hayden Avatar
    Jacqueline Hayden

    Thanks for the updates. I have been meaning to write to you for ages, kind of overwhelmed here in the land of Trumpism, Hampshire, my life etc. But, out of darkness comes hope that is what your messages from Valencia reinforce!! Gracias.

    I am hoping to come to Spain in 2026, first Cuba for a few weeks in January then fly to Spain. I want to check in with you about the best time to visit you and Valencia? February? It seems that getting caught in all the Fallas might be too much in March….I can start in Western Spain where Alina and Jaime are now living with her mother and their daughter and grandkids……they left Cuba in October. They are living north of La Coruna. I plan to go to France after Spain to visit Baba and then onto Paris where I have a friend too. Then maybe, maybe onto Scotland to visit the homeland of my paternal grandmother.

    As of now, Steve plans to stay in Cuba for a month to finish a book project but I don’t think I can make it that long without a project although I plan to bring a laptop and edit a film I want to make on this trip. So, I would be on my own if I come without him. If not on my own than we want to try and find a printshop where he can work. I don’t know if contacting the print dept. where your working makes sense? Let me know por favor.

    Cuba is kind of a disaster now, so so sad. I think the Hampshire program will be on pause next year at least that is what I heard last from Margaret.

    Glad you are doing so well, I have been active making new work…..more on that later.

    Besitos, Jackie

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