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Hello!
Welcome to this 10thedition of our newsletter.
August Is Fiesta time in the community of Valencia! Most of the towns and villages that surround the city have Fiestas Mayores or Patronales. Some are huge and long-winded affairs lasting up to three weeks, others are somewhat shorter, but one thing you can be sure of, there will always be lots of family fun!

What can you expect from a local fiesta?
Music - there will be brass bands and dancing, groups and singers, quite often big names in the Spanish music industry.
Dance - ballet and musicals, flamenco and folk-dancing.
Theatre - musicals, spectaculars and plays.
Food and Drink - Tomatoes, Basil, Paellas and dinners in the streets, lots of wine and drink - look out for Cuba-Litros, a litre plastic cup of Spirit and Mixer with five straws to share! Don't try to buy your drink from the bar at a fiesta, they almost always sell tickets in a booth or at a table nearby, which you then get your drinks with.
Bulls - most fiestas have a bull run through the village on at least on day - and sometimes at night.
Sports - Walking, Running and Cycling races. Pilota - a fast handball played in the streets - triathlons, football and even swimming.
Parades - from simple marching with Brass bands to Floats and Carnival style parades, to solemn religious walks to the incredible Moros y Cristianos.
Fireworks - well, this is Valencia! Mascletàs, Trackas and Castillos de Fuegos, some of the best displays of the year can be seen in surprisingly small villages.
Craziness - La Tomatina is the most famous bit of crazy- but there are others too, like the Basil Festival (Les Alfabegues) in Betera or the Moros y Cristianos in Ontinyent.

Each town and village publishes their own programme - pop into a local paper shop, the Town hall or El Horno (the baker) - they should be able to sell you one!

So here you are. thisisvalencia.com's rapid guide to the Fiestas around Valencia.

Most of the full timetables should be online by now but we were researching this up until an hour ago and some where not yet!

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Valencia in August it's all in this issue of thisisvalencia Newsletter Number 10.

AND NOW, FLATS FOR SALE AND TO RENT IN VALENCIA AND BEYOND - CLICK HERE FOR OUR NEW DEPARTMENT - THE BEST ON OFFER IN THE CITY AND AROUND THE AREA

Burjassot
30 July- 16 August

Godella
06 - 24th August

Betera
12 - 22 August

Rocafort
17August- 02 September

Olocau
6 - 16 August - though it really all starts on the 10th

La Pobla de Vallbona
30July- 16 August

Moncada
17-26 August

Paterna
16-27 August
26 August
La Cordà

Ontinyent
19-27 August
Moros y Cristianos

Buñol
18-30August
29 August
La Tomatina

Other things to do in Valencia this month

Burjassot
30 July- 16 August
Highlights
Fireworks
14 August at around Midnight
VIII Concurso de Pirotecnia, three of the best fight it out for the priza: Pirotecnia Benlloch, Pirotecnia Zarzoso y Pirotecnia Caballer Zamorano

Godella
06 - 24th August
Highlights
Fireworks
21August
Monumental mascletá from Ricardo Caballer de Godella, this is not to be missed as it is in the narrow streets of Godella
24August
Castillo de fuegos artificiales in the fields behind Godella, The Master pirotecnic Ricardo Caballer, closes the fiestas in Godella with one of the best firework displays of the year, said to be a dress rehearsal for his Castillo for Fallas.

Betera
12 - 22 August
Highlights
15 August from 0930
Les Alfabegues - Giant Basil Plants, Confetti.
The basil we all know and love is usually a little pot plant we use for seasoning Italian cooking. Betera takes these plants and grows them to between 2 and 4 meters high! - still in their extremely large pots, they are carried through the streets to the church by men and women in flowery shirts accompanied by more men and women who shower you in confetti, a lot of confetti! When it is all over you can be hosed down, but it's not compulsory!
17 August
from 1900 Medieval Market by the castle.
18August
2230 Efecto Mariposa and Seguridad Social - two big name Spanish Groups

Rocafort
17August- 02 September
Highlights
25August
Moros y Cristianos/Moors and Christians.
The biggest of these is in Ontinyent this month but if you want to see a gentler version which runs only one evening head on down to Rocafort - oh and get there early and take your own chair to get the best spot!

Olocau
6 - 16 August - though it really all starts on the 10th
Highlights
Fireworks
15 and 16 August at 1430 and 1400 respective days
Monumental Tracker - a giant firecracker - in the streets
16 August
2300 Festival of Traditional Music and Dance from Argentina and Mexico

La Pobla de Vallbona
Highlights
08August
Malu in Concert
11 August
Mira Con Baillan
A history of music and dance
13 August
The Musical play Metrosexual Asesino

Moncada
17-26 August
Highlights
18, 21 and 24 August Midnight
Bullrun through the streets - the bull's horns have flaming torches attached to them
19 August
Gigantic Paella in the Children's park at 2200
21 August
Horchata and Fartons from Daniel's - the most famous of the Horchata Makers

Paterna
16-27 August
Highlight
If you are brave enough!
26 August
La Cordà
Paterna celebrates La Cordà, an evening of gunpowder.

La Cordà dates back to the late 19th century and started in honour of San Vicente Ferrer, el Santísimo Cristo de la Fe y San Roque, but today the figure seems to be totally overshadowed by the explosions and drama of the event.

It all takes place on the main street with multiple rockets (60,000 actually) as well as firecrackers and mortars. Some are placed on the streets, others hang from the balconies attached to exceptionally long strings (cordàs) and some are even attached to the walls.

70 tiradores (rocket launchers) from local neighbourhood groups, dressed head-to-toe in ill-fitting suits with helmets of all shapes and sizes, run to and fro setting off anything powerful and explosive that adds to this particularly loud and colourful rocket symphony.

Tiradores are held in high esteem. They must do the best job they can, avoiding injury, and see how long they can go without lighting off their biggest firework of all, a box crammed with fireworks. There are around 130 of these boxes lining the streets.

La Cordà lasts 25 minutes and starts after dark - some 2500 rockets are let off each minute. Once over Pepín, the highly acclaimed rocket expert of the town, awarded the title Coeter Major, sounds his bugle to mark the lighting of the last of the rockets. Everyone then converges on their neighbourhood to stage cordàs of their own, continuing until dawn.

If you go - take care - this is dangerous stuff.

Ontinyent
19-27 August
Moros y Cristianos
Not as big as the April Alcoy version - but well worth the visit
Highlights
22 August
23:00 Miguel Bosé in concert at Municipal Sports Complex.
24 August
17:30
CHRISTIAN ENTRANCE
The heralds open the parade, which with their bugles and drums, announce the beginning of the entrance of the Christian side. Immediately afterwards the Christian captaincy group marches past, which is followed by the spectators with great enthusiasm.
22:30
MOORS ENTRANCE
Begins showing all the magic, fantasy and Eastern splendour marching past with the cadence of magnificent Moors Marches. The night falls on the city and the fiesta gains in splendour, brilliance and impressiveness, when the metals of the costumes shine. 
Both entrances will go thorough the avenues Almaig and Daniel Gil ending at the Concepción Square.
25 August
Medieval Market in La Vila's quarter opens
27 August
11:00h
Moors side parade from La Cantereria quarter and the Christians side from Saint Maria Bridge.
12:00
MOORISH AMBASSADOR PARLEY in the Main Square.
17:00
Christians side parade from La Cantereria quarter and the Moors side from Saint Maria Bridge.
At 18:00
CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR PARLEY and Final Parade.
 

Buñol
18-30August
Highlights
28August
Serrat & Sabina - two of Spain's best loved singers together for a summer tour
29 August
La Tomatina
The “Battle of the Tomato” starts at 11 o’clock. A whole hour of entertainment and being pelted with tomatoes has made “La Tomatina” one of the most important international tourist attractions in Valencia and Spain.

Please follow these simple but important rules during the battle so there will not be any incidents or injuries:

You must not take any bottles nor any kind of object that could cause any injury.
You must not knot T-shirts. There is nothing like being hit on the head by a wet knotted tee-shirt!
Tomatoes must be squashed before they are thrown in order not to hurt any person. 
Be really careful when the tomato laden lorries gothrough the village.
  When the second incendiary device will be fired, tomatoes will stop being thrown. 

Have as much fun as you can but please please observe the rules and respect others. There has never yet been any incident or serious injury during “La Tomatina” and Buñol would like to keep it that way so people can always enjoy.

Much more on La Tomatina here

There are many more fiestas around, the above is just a list of the highlights we think you should know about, check the Valencia press daily under fiestas for the latest news on what is happening where and also here (http://www.thisisvalencia.com/newinvalencia.html) we try and keep it as up to date as possible!

Fianlly here are some other things you may be interested in!

Botero at the Centro del Carmen - a major exhibition of the work of the man who like well rounded people.until the 12 September -
CENTRO DEL CARMEN
Museo, 2
96 315 20 24

Filmoteca D'Estui - in the Gardens in front of the Palau de Musica, nightly showing of great films under the stars - there's a season of original version films which includes Casino Royale, The Good Shepherd and Letters from Iwo Jima. The films are at 23:30 but get there early and get a light supper with your ticket - around 7euros including a drink from the bar, fantastic value!

Noches de Verano - in the wonderful Oceanografic - A dolphin show with synchronised swimming, 20:00 each evening - admission is 17€ and 14€ for children.

FLAMENCO AT IVAM
Every THURSDAY during August at 23.00 hours, in the main hall of IVAM. 
Entry to all the sessions is free.
09 August - Antonio Pitingo
16 August - Al-Mansour a sevillana group who mix instruments and styles such as hindi, arab and Jazz and will be joined by dancers.
23 August -Carmen Linares presents her show, Aire y Madera  un universo flamenco
30 August -Flamenco Jazz Experience,  innovative jazz style flamenco with world influences