Fallas 2026
Throughout Valencia, the first 19 days of March are all about Fallas, a vibrant celebration of rebirth packed with art, music, dancing, buñuelos, fireworks, flowers, pageantry, noise, fire, and smoke. Each element is a feast for the senses in its own right, but when they get together - watch out!
Every afternoon at 2:00, the city stops for an intense and rhythmic professional pyrotechnic mascletá, which generates up to 125 decibels of heart-pounding cadence. 🧨🫨
Beyond the official displays, folks of all ages spend these three weeks celebrating their love of noise. The soundscape ranges from the soft clicks of a toddler’s bombetas to the thunderous, ground-shaking booms of traditional Valencian tro de bac. (Tro de bacs are unique because they have no fuse; they are designed to explode on impact when thrown hard against the ground. They are a deeply protected cultural tradition in Valencia.)
After nearly a month of both meticulously planned and random bangs exploding all around us, we've gained a new appreciation for quiet.
Our favorite event is La Ofrenda (the Flower Offering), which begins with a procession of ~128,000 falleras and falleros dressed in traditional attire, carrying bouquets of mostly white, red, and yellow carnations, and accompanied by marching bands playing traditional pasadobles. Talk about sensory overload.
The flowers are added to a temporary, 15m structure specifically designed to hold the 98,000 bouquets. Once completed, the flowers reveal an intricate design. This year, it relayed a message of hope and peace, an especially poignant reminder during these turbulent times.
The final event, La Crema, involves setting fire to the 800+ falla monuments (sculptures) throughout the city, carefully overseen by bomberos (firefighters), as a symbolic end and the start of a new beginning.
Our ears are still ringing a bit and our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. These times are trying, y'all. Sending hope, peace, and love from Spain. Cheers to Spring and fresh starts. 🌸 🌱💐 🫶 😍 👋
