By some accounts, Las Fallas (or Las Felles in Valencian) is one of Europe’s biggest festivals. From fire to figurines, it seems to have a little bit of everything. Be sure to include it in your next Europe travel planning adventures. Las Fallas means “the fires” in Valencia, and that’s because the pinnacle of the fest is the enormous bonfire that destroys the paper-mache statues that are created forthe festival. That might seem like your run-of-the-mill festival strategy, but consider that these statues are life-size and depict scenes from current events, Spanish literature, or sometimes something a bit more tawdry. And they don’t come cheap – I’ve seen articles stating costs around £50,000 and taking up to a year to construct. (It would seem a whole cottage industry exists around Las Fallas?) So, if you want to come to Valencia for this madness, you simply must be here on the evening of March 19th – the festival runs for 5 days prior. That evening, the statues are filled with fireworks, and at midnight, the streetlights are shut off and you can imagine what happens next. Yes, the firemen swoop in to try and make sure the entire town doesn’t burn to the ground while the statues are lit. I’m not sure what it is with the European fascination with pyromania ( Up Helly Aa , anyone?). Don’t worry though – one of the statuettes is not burned. After a vote, the best statue is actually preserved and able to be seen in the Museum of the Ninot, one of the three recommended museums in Valencia by fellow blogger Heather Cowper.

Original Source Las Fallas: Another Reason to Visit Valencia