The magic of las Fallas

The biggest festival in Valencia is approaching. From 15 to 19 March, the city turns into an explosion of sensations in every sense of the word. The smell of gunpowder invades the city from the beginning of the month courtesy of the mascletaes, five minutes of authentic thunder suitable only for lovers of the beautiful sound of Las Fallas. On the 17th and 18th, the excitement is for the eyes. Thousands of Valencia natives dress in their finest regional costumes made of natural silk to offer more than 40 tonnes of flowers that will make up the cloak of the Virgin, the female patron saint of Valencia also known as the Geperudeta. Eating buñuelos (pumpkin fritters) with chocolate after a long night of fireworks, concerts and street parties all over the city is mandatory. And after recovering your strength, the perfect thing is to stroll around the city viewing over seven hundred cardboard monuments of caricatures satirising the most significant political, social and cultural events of the year. In the cremà on the night of 19 March, the flames put the finishing touches to the festival as they consume these monuments that can reach 20 metres in height. A magical night, no doubt about it. www.fallas.com