La Crida marks the official opening of the Fallas Festival. Crowds of spectators and the Fallas Committees gather beneath the Serranos Towers, one of the best known historical monuments of Valencia. La Crida usually takes place on the last Sunday of February.

After a spectacular inaugural display of light, sound, music and fireworks, the “Fallera Mayor” of Valencia, the elected festival queen, invites everyone to enjoy the fiesta!

The mascletà itself is like a gunpowder concert, as pyrotechnicians carefully study the rhythm of firework sequences, launches and whistles, combining them in a spectacular crescendo. The show finishes with the “terremoto” which is hundreds of mascletàs exploding on the ground simultaneously.

There is no fireworks display comparable to a mascletà and the emotions it arouses can only be understood by experiencing it at least once.

The City Council of Valencia organizes a calendar of mascletàs from the 1st of March to St. Joseph’s Day, the19th of March, at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. At 2 o’clock in the afternoon, thousands and thousands of people congregate there to witness a unique event that should not be missed by anyone who plans to experience the genuine Fallas atmosphere!

Each visitor of the exhibition has the chance to vote for the ninot that they like the best. When exhibition is closed, the votes are added up and the ninot with the largest number of votes is saved from the flames. This ninot is called the “ninot indultat” will have the honour of being the only ninot in all of Valencia that will not burn on the night of the 19^th of March.

A Fallas Committee is led by an elected chairman, who is ultimately responsible for the group’s actions. The chairman appoints a board made up of vice-presidents, a secretary, an accountant and a treasurer, plus a series of delegates who share responsibility for the different areas of work. The members of the committees are called “Falleros” and all the work that they do is done voluntarily for the benefit of the festival.

Today, there are more than 400 Fallas Committees officially listetd in Valencia. The whole community of Valencia unites during the time of the festival and engages in preparation for the biggest annual event in the city!

Las Fallas is Spain’s wildest festival with fireworks, concerts and parades!

The 19^th of March marks the beginning of Valencia’s annual Las Fallas festival, a traditional celebration in honor of the patron saint of Valencia, Saint Joseph. What started as a simple feast has slowly grown into a 5 day extravaganza complete with massive constructions of cardboard, wood and papier-mâché figures called Ninots, which are then burnt in huge bonfires.

So if the smell of gunpowder excites you and the sight of flames makes you smile then Las Fallas of Valencia is the event for you – a loud, smoky, high-spirited fiesta where the whole town is literally set ablaze! Las Fallas is undoubtedly one of the most unique and wild festivals in Spain.

The tradition started when carpenters cleared out their workshops at the end of winter, throwing out odds and ends of wood and lighting them on the street the day of Saint Joseph. Nowadays, Las Fallas has evolved into this multifaceted celebration involving fire; lots and lots of fire. Valencia, generally a quiet city with a population of just over 1 million, swells to an estimated three million flame-loving revellers during Las Fallas celebrations.

Las Fallas literally means “the fires” in Valencian. The focus of the fiesta is the creation and destruction of ninots (“puppets”), which are huge cardboard or wood statues. The ninots are extremely lifelike and usually depict bawdy, satirical scenes and current events. However, the Fallas are not just that. During these festivities- and even weeks beforehand – the streets are alive with fireworks displays, live music acts, artistic lighting, street performances, concerts, parades and more! The Fallas have been defined by artist Janet Morton as “extremely difficult and cathartic to describe, it resembles a cross between a bawdy Disneyland, the Fourth of July and the end of the world”.

An explosion of firecrackers kicks the program of the festival off on the 1^st of March, but this display of fireworks – called mascletà in Valencian – will become a feature every day at 2pm when the Fallera Mayor – a woman dressed up to the nines in Fallera finery -  will shout from the City Hall balcony “Senyor pirotècnic, pot començar la mascletà!” (Mr. Pyrotechnician, you may commence with the mascletà!). By the 15^th of March, the children’s Falles must be finished so that during the night they can participate in the parade, and at this point the city is a crazy buzz of colour, excitement and over 700 figures!

At 10pm on the 19^th of March, great big bonfires engulf the children’s Fallas, in advance of the rest of the Ninots which are burnt at midnight; so let the celebration begin! This dramatic and awe-inspiring ending act is called La Cremà (the Burning) and it will see all the Ninots disappear into the flames; all except for one, which will be preserved forever in the Fallero Museum, saved by the vote of the Falleros.

Be part of this unique and tradtional event while you stay in one of apartments in Valencia, for example the designer Rafol Rosa apartment, in the heart of the city!

EU PVSEC / WCPEC is the 25^th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition and the 5^th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion. The event will take place at the Feria Valencia, which is one of Spain’s largest and most modern fair grounds.

There are six main topics that are going to be discussed:

Advanced Photovoltaic: New Concepts and Ultra-High Efficiency

Wafer-Based Silicon Solar Cells and Materials Technology

Thin Film Solar Cells

Components for PV Systems

PV Systems

PV Taking Off: Large-Scale Deployment

Every topic has round four subtopics which makes the program quite dens and interesting.

The event is supported by UNESCO’s Natural Science Sector, WCRE (World Council for Renewable Energy) and IPVEA (International Photovoltaic Equipment Association) and cooperated by EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association).

The matter of clean energy will be discussed in a whole week from Monday to Friday. There are different registration categories such as Full Conference Week, Full Conference Week incl.Conference Dinner, Students, One Day Admission and PV Production Forum 2010 depending on the individual interest of the participant.

25th EU PVSEC / WCPEC-5 are for all who are professionally interested in innovative energy. You can combine this fair with great ecological importance with a visit to Spain’s most significant cities- Valencia. If you are looking for accommodation in Valencia, we recommend you rent one of our apartments located in the very centre, like the apartment Duque de Calabria.

]]> http://valencia.visitalltheworld.com/2010/06/25th-eu-pvsec-wcpec-5/feed/ 0 http://valencia.visitalltheworld.com/2010/06/igtm-international-golf-travel-market/ http://valencia.visitalltheworld.com/2010/06/igtm-international-golf-travel-market/#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 07:53:55 +0000 editor http://valencia.visitalltheworld.com/?p=1114 15-18 November, 2010

The International Golf Travel Market in Valencia is the world’s premier golf travel event and changes its venue every year. The fair in 2010 will be held at the Feria Valencia Convention and Exhibition Centre.

There are series of event as part of the IGTM. Such are IGTM Golf tournament, the welcome Reception and the Gala Dinner. On the last day will be announced the program for 2011.

Official partner of the event is IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators). Reed Travel Exhibitions, which is world’s travel exhibition specialist, owns and organises IGTM. More than 300 international golf tour operators from over 60 countries have attended the fair last year. The exhibited products vary from the traditional Golf course and resort to Airline and Car Rental companies. This is the perfect venue for you to inform yourself on all maters of golf travels.

You can enter this great golf trade show as an exhibitor or a buyer. As a buyer qualify an outbound golf tour operator, an incentive travel organiser or a meeting planner.

IGTM is described as “more than an exhibition or trade fair; it is a business workshop where networking begins at breakfast and continues into the evening in the host destination’s restaurants and bars.“ by the Golf Product Manager of Algarve Maria Manuel Delgado e Silva.

If you are a true golf lover visiting this unique event and you are looking for accommodation in Valencia, we recommend you rent one of our apartments located in the very centre, like the apartment Duque de Calabria.

EUROBRICO is International DIY Trade Fair for professionals. The annual event will have its 6th edition on the Feria Valencia grounds. It is organised by the Assosiation of Ironmonegy and D.I.Y. Products Retailers (ADFB) and the Assosiation de destributores de Ferreteria y Bricolage (AAFB).

The sectors at the fair are Construction, Wood, Electricity, Tools, Bath and Plumbing, Kitche, Garden, Hardware, Painting, Decor, Furniture and Management and Climate. There is a special catalogue with information of the current fair available at the venue for 15€.

As part of the fair there will be held the special EUROBRICO Meeting Point with the subtitle “Opening doors”. As the names say it is a ground for all professionals from the industry to get together. The attenders will have the opportunity to listen to internationally recognised experts from AKÍ, ATB BRICOLAJE, BRICO GROUP and more.

At the previous editions of EUROBRICO there have been participants from Germany, Belgium, Canada, United States, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom and Switzerland. The foreign presence has been mostly in the visitors area, but this year the organisers are concentrating on the idea to increase the all the sectors.

Feria Valencia has the largest fair grounds in Spain with 231.000sq.m. of exhibition area in eight pavilions and 68.000sq.m. of parking area and is easily to be reached by metro (new line 5), bus (line number 62) or car.

If are looking for accommodation in Valencia, we recommend you rent one of our apartments located with terrace to enjoy the sun, like the apartment El Carmen.

Motorepoca is one of the leading trade fairs for the historic vehicle sector in Spain. This year marks the 19th edition of the event which will be held on the 20th to 24th of October. It is organized by Feria Valencia and will attract thousand of visitors from different parts of the world. Visit Valencia and don’t miss this unique trade fair!

The Motorepoca show of vehicles on exhibition and for sale is full of magnificent models on display by some of the main commercial brands devoted to vintage and classic vehicles in Spain. Lovers of classical vehicles have the opportunity to admire the vehicles in a single place and even to purchase exceptionally valuble models for their private collections.

The foreign products at the Motorepoca consist of parts for classic and vintage vehicles from leading international automobile and motorcycle brands. Over 60 exhibitors offer all kinds of parts and spare parts for vintage vehicles, including cars and motorbikes.

Thousands of people come to the Motorepoca fair in Valencia every year to marvel at the classical and vintage car models of our time. Be part of this unique experience while you are staying at one of our holiday apartments in Valencia, for example the trendy El Carmen apartment!

Ideas&Pasión is a fair in Valencia where sectors that make up the home products industry will be showcasing their latest designs. It is a wonderful platform for the participating leading firms to display and sell their products including furniture, furnishings, household textiles and kitchen etc.

The fair takes place from the 28th till the 2nd of October at the Feria Hábitat Valencia and there will be an extensive programme of activities to see both within and outside the fair. Visit Valencia and check out this unique event!

Feria Hábitat Valencia is the only international Spanish trade fair that gathers together the entire product offer for interiors: furniture, decor, home textiles, and lighting, etc. It seeks to give a boost to the sectors involved, create trends and generate innovation.

The Feria Hábitat Valencia’s achievements can be seen by its 800 exhibitors, 60,000 visitors from more than 100 countries and 125,000 square metres of space given over to exhibits. Feria Hábitat Valencia showcases an integrated product offering that includes furniture, kitchens, lighting, decorative accessories, home textiles, garden furniture and art.

If you are interested in the home products industry or your business operates within this sector, don’t miss this event while you are staying in one of our holiday apartments in Valencia! We recommend our Duque de Calabria apartment, a designer apartment with two terraces!