Valencia Weekend: March 19-22 | La Cremà – the Fallas Finale
Buen Finde! Fallas is coming to a close. Despite Aemet’s forecast for isolated showers, La Cremà today will be the fiery finale to the festival. It’s also a public holiday, so shops are closed.
The rest of the weekend will be dedicated to clean-up and recovery. Or, for true falleros, the best time to snap up a deal on discount fallera dresses and textiles.
La Crema
This is the defining moment of Fallas: the point at which all the hard work of building the falla monuments and ninots is set alight and burned to ash. The burning of the smaller installations begins first, at around 8:30 pm, building to the climactic burning of the municipal monument at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at 11 pm.
It’s an emotional and cathartic moment for many falleros. For more on what happens and the origins of the tradition, read La Cremà: The Fiery Finale of Fallas.
Remarkably, firefighters and cleaning crews work through the night to douse the flames and sweep the streets. By the following morning, Valencia is back to business as usual.
Arts & Culture
Last chance to catch the free exhibition of historic photographs at Muvim by photojournalist Luis Vidal Corella. He documented daily life in Valencia during some of the harshest years of the Civil War and the early decades of Franco’s authoritarian rule. Makma has a review that places the exhibition in its political context.
Source: Luis Vidal Corella se hace eco fotográfico de la ‘hybris’ del poder en el franquismo – Makma
Inspired by fallera fashion? For those hoping to pick up a bargain on Fallas fabrics, the weekend after Fallas brings the ultimate sales. Big stores like Álvaro Moliner, Per a lluir, and Roa Textil slash their prices. And the Low-cost Fallera Fair will be at the Sercotel all weekend.
Music & Nightlife:
Rock and Pop: Storied New York singer-songwriter Willie Nile is playing at Loco Club on Sunday. And despite the last-minute cancellation of Morrissey, British band Suede is undeterred, taking the stage at the Roig Arena on Tuesday.
Classical and Opera: The Palau de la Musica has a free organ concert on Saturday. Iveta Apkalna plays pieces by Bach and Philip Glass. Teatro El Musical is staging a special Spanish-language version of Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera. And, on Sunday, Les Arts has a one-night performance of pieces from Handel’s Orlando.
Good to Know
- Valencia’s Botanical Garden is offering free admission to all on Sunday. A quiet little green gem of the city.
Source of the Week: Makma
Makma: A Valencia-based digital arts and culture magazine, Makma is an excellent source for regional arts news with a keen eye on its place within the broader national scene.
