Four Reasons Las Fallas Is The Hottest Festival In Spain

Stokepedia

Las Fallas celebrates the coming of spring in the hottest way imaginable. And it’s not just the sexy Spaniards (and your band of international compatriots) that’ll have you sweating, it’s the street parties. You see these fiestas involve lots and lots of fire. And as the population of Valencia (the city where it all takes place) swells from one million to three million, for these five days (March 15 to 20), there’s a certain atmosphere that just cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. Take a minute, and allow us to explain…what is las fallas.

Pyromania.

Giant (sometimes building sized) ninots (puppets/dolls) are made throughout the year from all sorts of flammable materials (paper mache, cardboard, wood, plaster), and then during this week people wander round with axes making holes in them and stuffing them with fireworks. Made to look lifelike, they often feature Spanish politicians and celebrities which is funny, exciting, and creepy all at the same time. The wine and sangria fuelled dancing comes to a climax at midnight the 19th, when the crowd stops chanting, the street lights are turned off and the effigies are set alight, in turn setting off the firework display.

Drinking And Dancing In The Street.

Imagine the word ‘vibrant’ was a city, with all it’s bars open and all it’s people outside laughing, chatting and drinking ‘til the early hours of the morning, every night for a week. That’s Las Fallas. Little kids run about chasing each other with fireworks, and the ‘big kids’ (you guys) pretty much do the same with each other, until you either get lucky or retire to your warm, cozy cabin.

New Friends.

While you wait for thousands of huge, intricate, majestic statues to be turned to ash, a sort of “the end is near” attitude descends upon the town, which facilitates flirting, foreplay and bold decisions. The air is full of energy, lending you a sort of superhuman strength to converse with whomever you please. Locals and fellow travellers alike will be letting their hair down and having muchisimo fun. For anyone who has the opportunity to go, it’s really not something you want to miss.

Culture.

To be honest Las Fallas is one of the many festivals celebrated by the Spanish just ‘cause they can. And one of the reasons they get away with having these crazy (fun) weeklong fiestas is religion. The festival is in honour of St Joseph, and each neighbourhood in the city spends all year fundraising, organising and constructing the dramatic display, which is quite cool, as all you have to do is pop in at the right time and feast your eyes…

 

Wanna come? Click here. And as always don’t forget to hit up the comments if you have any questions or Las Fallas experiences you would like to share.

 

Until next time,

Stoke.