The ninots are extremely lifelike and usually depict bawdy, satirical scenes and current events (lampooning politicians and celebrities is particularly popular). Crafted by neighbourhood groups in all sorts of shapes and sizes they can take about six months to construct and often cost upwards of AUD85,000. Some ninots are up to 20m high and need to be moved into position with cranes. Typically there are more than 500 different ninots placed at key intersections and parks around the city.

During the two weeks of Las Fallas, Valencia is an all-hours party scene and the city resembles an open-air nightclub. During the day, make sure you check out the extensive roster of parades, paella contests and beauty pageants around the city. Spaniards and visitors alike consume vast quantities of sangria and paella and explosions rock the streets day and night as locals from small children to the elderly throw fireworks into the streets.

Where? Valencia, Spain

When? 12 to 19 March 2009

How long? Seven days

Highlights

La Desperta – Each day at 8am the fallas begins with la despertà (‘the wake-up call’). Brass bands appear from the casals and march down every street playing lively music. Close behind are the fallers throwing large firecrackers in the street as they go.

La Mascletà – At around 2pm everyday, a co-ordinated fireworks barrage erupts in each neighbourhood – the mascletà. The main attraction is at the Plaça de l’Ajuntament where pyrotecnic artists compete to provide the final mascleta of the fiesta on 19 March. Go early, as huge crowds gather to see this event.

La Ofrenda – Each falla makes an offering of flowers to the virgin on 17 and 18 March. The virgin’s body is then constructed with these flowers.

Los Castillos and La Nit de Foc – Head down to the old riverbed for fireworks displays on the nights of the 15, 16, 17 and 18. Each night is progressively grander, and the last is called La Nit de Foc – the night of fire.

La Cremà – Around midnight on the final night of Fallas the festival reaches its climax as the fallas are torched in a huge bonfire. This is known as the cremada or cremà, ’the burning’. Traditionally, the falla near the town hall is burned last. Each falla is adorned with fireworks, which are lit first. Fallas burn quite quickly; in narrower streets, the heat scorches the surrounding buildings and firemen have to douse the façades, window blinds and street signs, with their hoses in order to stop them catching fire or melting.

Activities – Besides the burning of the ninots, there is a myriad of other activities taking place during the fiesta. During the day, check out the parades, paella contests – Valencia is home to the famous rice dish paella – and beauty pageants around the city. Have fun sampling the different blends of sangria and try the typical Spanish fried snacks such as porras, churros and buñuelos, as well as roast chestnuts or various trinkets on sale from street stalls.

Climate

Valencia in March averages 21˚C.

Don’t miss

The extravagantly sculpted baroque Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas or the Museo de Bellas Artes, one the best museums in Spain and containing works by artists such as El Greco, Goya and Velázquez.

Did you know?

The origin of the Las Fallas fires is an evolution of pagan rituals that celebrated the onset of spring and the planting season. In the 16th century, Valencia used streetlights only during the longer nights of winter. The street lamps were hung on wooden structures called parots, and as the days became longer the now-unnecessary parots were ceremoniously burned on St Joseph’s Day.