The Exposició del Ninot (Ninot Exhibition in English) is a ninots show, whose aim it is to determine the Ninots Indultats of the year. Every Fallas committee sends two of their ninots (one adult sculpture and one ninot infantil) to the Exposició held at the Museo de Ciencias Príncipe Felip in the City of Arts and Sciences.

The exhibition is open from early February to mid-March, allowing the public and the JCF to admire the sculptures which best represent their fallas of origin. In the end, votes are counted and the Ninots Indultats are declared.

Below you can find a table reporting the Exhibit’s opening hours and prices.

Ninots Indultats

A Ninot Indultat is a pardoned ninot, meaning it has been spared from the fire of the Cremà by popular vote. Each year, following the Exposició del Ninot, two ninots in all of Valencia are awarded this title. One of them is an adult ninot (usually political or mature and satirical), the other one is a ninot infantil (for kids). After the Exposició, the ninots that have not been chosen, are returned to their fallas, to be burnt with them in the fire of the Cremà.

However, Ninots Indultats are not the only ones that don’t end up in flames. It is customary for Falleras Mayores and committee presidents to keep some of the ninots for themselves. The Fallas Artists Guild can also decide to keep some of the ninots for their outstanding artistic value. These ones will be exposed in the Museo del Gremio Artesano de Artistas Falleros, while the Ninots Indultats by popular vote are all exposed in the Museu Faller.

History of the Exposició

The Exposició del Ninot, as it is called in Valencian, was conceived by a Fallas artist. His proposal also included a parade to the exhibition centre (which has today become the Cabalgata del Ninot) and a parade back to the Museu Faller for the winning ninots.

• 1933 Valencia City Council wants to introduce new events

  Valencia’s City Council announced a competition of ideas to create events for the upcoming Fallas. Fallas artist Regino Mas won with his proposal: L’Indult del Foc, which roughly translates to Pardoned from the Fire.

• 1934-1936 Mercat Central

  The exhibition was first held in 1934, and it took place in the Mercat Central’s basement for the first three editions.

• 1940-1996 Lonja de la Seda

  The Exhibition changed venues, going to the Lonja de la Seda for several years.

• 1997-2000 Mercado Central

  The Exhibit briefly returned to the Mercado Central.

• 2001-2003 Mercado de Russafa

  The Ninot Exhibit was moved for a few editions to the Mercado de Russafa.

• 2004-2015 Nuevo Centro

  For several editions, the shopping centre Nuevo Centro, in front of the Turia Park was home to the Exhibition.

• 2016-present Príncipe Felipe Science Museum

  Finally, in 2016, the Exhibit started being held in the Museo de Ciencias Príncipe Felip in the City of Arts and Sciences, where it is still hosted every year.

The contest

The system for choosing which will be the Ninots Indultats is really very simple. Anyone who visits the Exposició del Ninot - which costs only a few euros to get in - can vote for their favourite ninots.

At the end of the exhibit, the ninots that have received the most votes (one ninot infantil and one adult ninots) will be saved from the flames and taken to the Museu Faller. The winners are declared on the 14th of March for the children’s ninots, and on the 15th of March for the adults’ ninots.

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This popular vote system is unique in its kind. As far as methods for incorporating pieces into a museum go, no other institution chooses its pieces this way.