Festival tip: Experience Las Fallas in Valencia

Each year in March, Valencia hosts Las Fallas, a week-long festival with paella competitions, fireworks, music and floats with colourful constructions called 'fallas'. The festival ends with a burning of the fallas to symbolise rebirth and celebrate the start of spring.

Officially the festival runs from March 15 to 19, but the atmosphere starts building from the beginning of March. I visited Valencia in the week before Las Fallas and there were already a lost of festivities. You'll see colossol artwork constructions being build up in squares, parks and streets around city. In addition there are parades and the most earsplitting fireworks you have ever heard. At the last day of Las Fallas the constructions are all set on fire. It is truly spectacular!