The first weekend of March in Valencia will be in the spirit of The Cabalgata del Ninot. “Cabalgata” means procession and “ninots” are parts of the big Fallas monuments that each committee is going to build up in the streets of Valencia on the 15th of March. Carry on reading and discover where and when to be to see the colorful parade.
The Cabalgata del Ninot is a procession of Fallas committees carrying their ninots to the Ninots exhibition where people vote for their favourite ninot. The winning piece will be saved from burning that takes place on Monday 19th March. You can read more about the exhibition in our previous article. The Cabalgata del Ninot 2018 takes place on Saturday 3rd of March. The procession will hit the road at 6 p.m. on the Glorieta street and continue along the calle de la Paz, San Vicente, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Marqués de Sotelo and end on the calle Játiva.
The parade will be accompanied by joyful music and its participants disguised in satirical costumes as the whole idea of The Fallas is to point out current affairs in society from a critical and ironic perspective. Children will also take part in The Cabalgata del Ninot Infantil. In the end of the procession first pieces of the municipal Falla monument will be delivered to Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
At midnight we recommend you to watch a colorful mascletà in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, a very different show from the everyday 2 p.m. mascletà.
On Sunday 4th of March at 10 a.m. you can come to Plaza del Carmen and watch the singing competition called Concurso del Cant de l’Estoreta Velleta. The event is organized by Falla Plaza del Árbol (one of the Fallas committees) and even the Fallera Mayor of Valencia (the Queen of The Fallas) will be there.
The tradition of this event goes back to 1960’s when the members of the Falla Plaza del Árbol dressed up in their traditional costumes and with an old carpet (estoreta velleta) walked around the neighbourhood collecting unnecessary things their neighbours wanted to get rid of so that they can burn them later together with their Falla monument. Meanwhile, they were singing popular songs.
Nowadays, the participants have to sing a famous song and will be awarded in various categories. For visitors it’s a great opportunity to see the Valencia’s traditional costumes from 19th century. After the competition you can move to Plaza del Ayuntamiento to watch the mascletà at 2 p.m.
If you are struggling with understanding the Spanish information about The Fallas, check out the Facebook page Las Fallas Valencia Information for English Speaking Visitors for the newest updates and sign up for our Spanish courses to start increasing your Spanish level today!
