ARCHIVED - Larger than life Fallas of Valencia to make a spectacular comeback in September

One of the biggest events in Valencia's calendar, the Fallas festival that traditionally combines satire and art will be held in September this year.

The Fallas fire fiestas, normally held in March with bonfires on the 19th, have been postponed twice due to the pandemic.

But the Valencia regional government has agreed that the festival, deemed "practically essential" to the city, can go ahead from September 1 to 5, 2021.

Regional president Ximo Puig explained that while the celebrations won't be on the scale of previous years, the essence of the Fallas will be made possible with the burning of the huge sculptural works and Covid-safe celebrations in neighbourhoods across the city.

Minister of Health, Ana Barceló, said September had been set as the earliest date for fiestas "because it guarantees an important margin of time and more possibilities to control the pandemic with the increase of vaccination over the next two months". 

When the pandemic struck last year forcing cancellation of the main celebrations a 'virtual Fallas' was held with a range of online events.

"But there will be Fallas this year, they will be atypical, different, they will be the Covid Fallas but they will be celebrated," said the president of the Federation of Fallas of the Valencian Community, Salvador Doménech

The Fallas festival was first celebrated in Valencia in the 18th century and is held in 160 municipalities with some 800 participating Fallas Commissions bringing together around 200,000 'Falleros' and 'Falleras'  - volunteers for the commission who organise and partake in the festivity.

IMAGE: @generalitat