Remarks by Julia Vizcayno Orero, Children’s Fallera Mayor of Valencia 2027

Her Excellency the Mayor of the City of Valencia, Ms. Maria José Català; President of the Fallera Central Board, Mr. Santiago Ballester; members of the city council; dignitaries; the executive board of the Fallera Central Board; the Belleses del Foc; the Queens of the Festivals of Castelló… dear Carmen and Marta and their Courts of Honor… Beatriz, Fallera Major of Valencia, our beloved Courts of Honor, good afternoon to everyone.

I still can’t quite believe I’m here today.

I have always admired the Falleras Majores Infantiles of Valencia; I used to watch them and think they felt something very special.

Now I know they do.

And it’s hard for me to put into words what a little girl feels when that dream she’d imagined so many times has come true.

Because the Falles are part of my fondest memories.

They’re my first smiles, my first Valencian dresses; they’re the nights spent watching our little falla being erected in my neighborhood of Canyamelar; they’re the music in the streets and the mascleta fireworks that make my heart flutter.

They’re all those things that, when you’re little, you can’t explain why, but they make you feel at home.

Because for me, Valencia is just that: HOME. It’s the color of the flowers when March arrives. It’s the smell of gunpowder

It’s the music of our bands.

It’s looking up and discovering a falla in the middle of the street.

It’s seeing Valencia full of people, light, and smiles. It’s that feeling that tells us the Falles are here.

I’ve been lucky enough to grow up experiencing all of this. To understand that the Falles are much more than

a festival.

The Falles are a way of loving Valencia. A way of making it feel more like our own, of caring for it, of celebrating it, and of sharing it.

And today I’m lucky to be able to represent it.

That makes me very happy, but it also makes me feel a great sense of responsibility.

Because behind it all is a whole city. There are thousands of girls and boys who experience the Falles with the same excitement as I do, fallers who work all year round, and families who keep their falla alive, ensuring that the Falles remain what they are today.

There are also seven people who took on the responsibility of selecting this year’s Fallera Major Infantil of Valencia and her Court of Honor, to whom I couldn’t be more grateful.

Seven people who, for a few days, looked us in the eyes and placed their trust in us.

Perhaps they knew that that decision would change our lives. And today I understand that behind it all lay something much more beautiful: trust.

That’s why I promise to represent Valencia just as I feel it: with joy, with pride, and with lots of love.

I want to look at every falleta through the eyes of a little girl.

To be moved by every mascletà and enjoy every pasdoble.

I want to experience our Ofrena at La Geperudeta and cherish every moment. And I’ll do it alongside my Court of Honor, and that makes me especially happy.

Because perhaps today we still don’t know everything we’ll experience together. We don’t know how many times we’ll laugh, how many hugs we’ll share, or how many moments will eventually become memories we’ll recount when we’re older.

But I do know that a very special friendship begins today. And I want us to enjoy every second together.

Thank you to my committee, Rosari-Plaça Calabuig. I’m proud to be part of this great Fallas family.

Because behind every little girl who dreams, there are people who make those dreams come true.

People who are there for you when you’re nervous, who hug you when you’re scared, who celebrate your joys as if they were their own, and who stand by your side without being asked.

To my family, thank you.

Thank you for teaching me to love the Falles and for showing me that being a fallera isn’t just about wearing a pretty dress.

It’s about loving a festival.

It’s about loving people. It’s about sharing.

It’s working together.

And it’s loving Valencia.

Thank you for letting me be myself.

Because that’s what I want to continue being this year: a little girl who’s lucky enough to be living a very big dream.

A girl who wants to laugh, learn, make friends, get excited, and enjoy every moment.

Because someday this year will come to an end… But I know there’s one thing that will never change: the way I love Valencia.

Because when a person truly loves a city, they always carry a little piece of it in their heart.

And today, I feel that Valencia is very close to my heart. And that is a gift I will never forget. So today I can only say: Thank you, Valencia.

Thank you for your light, for your music, your fireworks, your flowers… For your art. For your Falles. And, above all, thank you for letting me represent you.

I promise to live this year with my eyes wide open, a smile always ready, and my heart full of excitement.

Today marks the beginning of our year—mine and that of my wonderful Court of Honor. The year of all the boys and girls who, like me, love and will always love the Falles.

Long live Valencia!

Long live the Falles!