L'Albà de les Falles
What better way to open the most hectic and exciting days of Fallas if not with an explosive firework display that takes over all of Valencia?
L'Albà de les Falles in a nutshell…
L’Albà de les Falles marks the start of Semana Fallera with a citywide firework display at midnight on March 15-16. While all Fallas committees launch fireworks from their casales, the main show takes place in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, lasting about 11 minutes.
Location: Citywide, main display in Plaza del Ayuntamiento
Time: Midnight, March 15-16
Entry: Free
Transport: Metro (Colón, Xàtiva). Bus routes may be diverted. Try to arrive early (at least 30 minutes before) for a good spot
The Albà de les Falles, initially called Nit de l’Albà, is a celebration meant to open up the Semana Fallera, the most eventful and intense days of the Fallas festival. As a matter of fact, the Albà de les Falles is celebrated on the night between the 15th and the 16th of March. The following morning, Valencia will wake up to a city full of colourful and extravagant sculptures.
The celebration, like many others during the festival, consists of a firework display. During other similar events in Valencia - such as the Nit del Foc - the fireworks are set off from one location. The Albà de les Falles instead, really takes place all over the city.
On the eve of the fallas mayores’ Plantà, the Junta Central Fallera representatives and the Fallera Mayor will gather in Plaza del Ayuntamiento. At midnight, the Fallas Queen will give the order to fill the Valencian sky with colour and gunpowder.
Each of the 392 Fallas committees will thus set off fireworks from their own casal fallero. Thus, for a few minutes the entire Valencia blooms in the dark night. People stretch their necks to look up from the squares or lean over their balconies as colourful lights shoot up into the sky.
Still, many spectators prefer to gather in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where the main display takes place. Here, the show lasts the longest - over 10 minutes - and it involves a battery of 25 smaller (compared to the Mascletà or other Castillos de Fuegos Aritificiales) explosives that create a beautifully choreographed sequence of colours and rhythm.
History
Once experimented with and abandoned, the Albà de les Falles tradition was retrieved only recently.
1942 - Castillos de Fuegos Artificiales
Firework displays were officially incorporated into the Fallas events programme for the first time.
1966 - First Albà
Falla Na Jordana initiated the tradition, launching a small firework display on the eve of the fallas mayores’ Plantà. The event was then named Nit de l’Albà (Night of the Dawn).
1967 - Other committees join
The city’s committees joined in this unison firing, repeated for its second year.
1968-2015 - Not celebrated
The tradition fell into disuse.
2016 - Retrieval
After not having been celebrated for 49 years, Falla Na Jordana successfully proposed to recover the tradition.
2021 - Albà de les Falles
The name of the event was officially changed to Albà de les Falles (Fallas Dawn) to avoid confusion with the Nit de l’Albà celebrated in Elche in August.
Practical Info
The Alba de les Falles is an event that involves all the Fallas committees throughout Valencia. Each committee, in coordination with the JCF and the other committees, sets off their own fireworks, while the bigger and longer display takes place in Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
At midnight, between the 15th and 16th of March, fireworks explode all over Valencia. The longer display is of course the one in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, while the others are normally a bit shorter.
Best spots to watch the firework displays
If you can find yourself in Plaza del Ayuntamiento before the start of the show, you’ll get a good view. But remember that the square starts to fill up quickly, so go there early if you can. If you want an excellent spot to see the show, hotels and apartments rent rooms with a view of the square.
Of course, you can also decide to see a smaller display from one of the hundreds of Fallas committees in Valencia.
Our recommendations
Many people are already starting to find a spot at least half an hour before the start of the display, so watch the clock.
Transport
The special safety measures that are put in place at the time of the Alba de les Falles could also affect public transport. EMT bus lines can be diverted, so the best is to ask the driver what the closest stop to your destination is.
Following are the various ways you can get to Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here you can find quick answers to all of your questions. Linked, you’ll find the articles or the sections of the articles that can give you more detailed information.
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The Albà de les Falles is a celebration meant to open up the Semana Fallera, the most eventful and intense days of the Fallas festival (16th to 19th of March).
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The Albà de les Falles is celebrated on the night between the 15th and the 16th of March.
To know more about the program, check the relevant section of this article.
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The Albà de les Falles takes place all over the city. Every Fallas committee fires their own fireworks, but the most important display is in Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
To know more about the programme, check the relevant section of this article.
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It depends on which display you are seeing. The one in Plaza del Ayuntamiento lasts around 11 minutes, but the ones by the casales falleros last less.
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Nit de l’Albà was the term used for the Albà de les Falles up until 2021. The name was changed to avoid confusion with a celebration of the same name that takes place in August in the town of Elche, not too far from Valencia.
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The tradition was first introduced in 1966, but it soon fell into disuse, only to be recovered in 2016.
To know more about the event’s history, check the relevant section of this article.
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If you want to go to the main Albà de les Falles display in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, you can take public transport (metro or bus) or simply walk there. We recommend the last option if you’re already in the city centre.
If you want to know more about transport to the site, you can check out the relevant section of this article.
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People generally start to gather pretty early to see the Albà de les Falles in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, so we recommend going half an hour early at the very least (11:30 pm).
