Key week for the Fallas festival in Valencia. The artists have been working since the weekend, not without setbacks due to the rain and wind last Sunday, on the assembly of the fallaes. The children’s ones must be planted on Friday at eight in the morning, while the large ones have time until Saturday at the same time, when the juries will begin to visit them.
That is why these days the figures that remained covered in plastic are being revealed and the cranes are already working to lift the tops, the central parts of the monuments. It is a staggered process that artists and commissions organize according to their needs, since it is common for the same creative team to plant several fallaes in the same city.
This year the commissions have invested close to 8.87 million euros and a good part of that investment can already be seen in the auctions of the Fallas of the Special Section, the most expensive in the city. This is the case of the Convento Jerusalem-Matemático Marzal falla, which seeks the first prize in its category with an impressive proposal by Pere Baenas that has the motto ‘Olimpia’ and costs 245,000 euros.
With enthusiasm to revalidate the first prize won last year, David Sánchez Llongo is also present these days at Expósito-Micer Mascó, with a budget of 182,000 euros and a work dedicated to the five senses. And without a doubt the Frida Kalho from the Cuba-Literato Azorín falla, which is about madness and costs 150,000 euros, will be one of the most photographed by the thousands of visitors expected in the city these days. Its location in the Russafa neighborhood where the best street lighting is located on the occasion of the Fallas attracts a good part of the tourism expected in the city.
The average occupancy between March 14 and 18 reaches 69% and rises to 71% during the weekend, as reported yesterday by the Valencia City Council. The night with the highest occupancy is expected for Saturday, March 16, with a record of 74%, but the council recognizes that last-minute reservations could increase occupancy levels by up to 10 points, depending, among other factors, on the Weather forecast.
Regarding the average price of rooms in hotel establishments, it has reached, so far, an average of 198 euros between the nights of March 14 to 18 and shoots up to 224 euros during the weekend. The increase in prices has a lot to do with the growing interest aroused by the Fallas festival, which stands as the most searched Spanish popular festival on Google nationwide, followed by the Sanfermines and the April Fair. In the last year, the number of searches for this Valencian celebration has grown by 31% according to the study carried out by agencies.eu for Adestic.
The largest influx of public and the bulk of the activities are expected for the weekend, although in the past numerous events and festivals were held that gave rise to uncivil acts in the downtown area of ??the city. The merchants association of the Historic Center reported that several people urinated next to protected buildings and the stairs of the Lonja woke up with vomiting, a situation to which the mayor of València, María José Catalá, responded with the fencing of the different historical monuments of the city and with financial fines for those who do not respect Valencian heritage. “The necessary measures will be taken,” the mayor said yesterday.
