Ribó does not pay the prizes and aid to the Fallas de Valencia and forces them to go into debt. The City Council’s debt with the Fallas amounts, between grants and prizes, to an amount of around 1.9 million euros.
The Fallas of Valencia are the most representative festival of the fourth city in Spain. A showcase that advertises the city to millions of potential visitors from both the rest of Spain and abroad. Its image is also that of promotion, not only of the capital of the Valencian Community, but of the whole of autonomy, in international tourism fairs and competitions. Therefore, they are the engine of economic activity and tourist projection. Both for Valencia and for the Valencian Community.
The Fallas and the Fallas commissions are also at a difficult time. The pandemic has reduced cash and income, so any financial contribution is vital for its future. But the Valencia Fallas have a problem. The City Council, whose mayor is Joan Ribó (Compromís), owes around 1.9 million euros, according to data from the Popular Party, to the Fallas of Valencia. Only in prizes, the amount amounts to more than 131,000 euros. Of those 131,000 euros, about 90,000 euros correspond to the prizes of the large Fallas, another 29,000 euros of prizes to the children’s Fallas and an amount of around 12,000 euros to the prizes for the best ninots. The municipal commitment was to pay in October. But, they have not charged. The economic effort that the Fallas are making has not been reciprocated by the City Council.
This circumstance has provoked the complaint of the Popular Party, which has also denounced that many Fallas have been forced to resort to policies or to make payments with promissory notes to face the investments that they have had to carry out in this difficult year, such as those destined for artists and suppliers. The artists are essential to build the Fallas monuments, as are the suppliers. The situation is getting complicated and the problems of Security and the bottle are now added to this new one with the Fallas, an event that to date has contributed greatly to the universal image of the city.
