What's Hot?

Posted Monday, March 03, 2008, 9:46 AM by Lonely Planet

Those smoldering Spaniards, that's what. This month, Valencia celebrates Las Fallas de San Jose (March 3-19th). The city spends the entire month rekindling its party mood with daily displays of booming fireworks and a heavy dose of street celebrations, parades, paella competitions and the occasional bullfight. It all leads up the 15th, when hundreds of artists work throughout the night to create enormous cardboard monuments and statues. A wander through the streets the next morning will reveal around 700 of these ninots, representing current events, celebrities and the odd politician, and some towering 20m high. A winning ninot is chosen to go into the hall of fame (aka Fallero Museum) and you can say adios to the rest of the fallas (failures) when they're torched on the night of the 19th, to the clamoring of crowds, street music and more fireworks. Eat your heart out Guy Fawkes.

Korina Miller, Commissioning Editor, Iberia & Portugal

Labels: Festivals and events, Spain, Valencia

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