The Fallas mascletaes in the Town Hall square will have less gunpowder.
The Nit del Foc will be signed by one company and shot by San José and the cream by another to distribute the effort in a hard year for pyrotechnicians
One of the unknowns of the Fallas of 2022 is whether the mascletaes can be kept in the Town Hall square and in what way, whether with capacity or not, something that Health will have to decide. At the moment, what can be said is that the shows will reduce the kilos of gunpowder in the square, since pyrotechnicians will approach the market price, that is, what they receive for the shot.
It should not be forgotten that until the beginning of 2020, the companies participating in the mascletaes calendar symbolically threw the house out the window and mounted shows that were worth much more than what was paid, because it was considered in a way that it is the 'gunpowder cathedral' and a showcase for these professionals, but now the situation is different, especially after two years of trouble in the sector, since the pandemic kept them closed for many months and without activity and with few hiring because celebrations were not organized and the important thing is to save To pyrotechnicians.
These professionals will continue to demonstrate their know-how to the Valencians in the Town Hall square, as a thank you, but they will have to reconfigure their proposals, since they will not be able to launch the 200 kilos of material of the bonanza years, rather it will approach half, something that was already proven in September in the shots fired in the neighborhoods.
Valencia City Council will pay 8,000 euros (VAT included) for each mascletà, which represents the annual committed increase of 500 euros promoted by the mayor Pere Fuset and 20,000 euros in the case of castles (except that of the Nit del Foc that exceeds 50,000 euros).
The underlying issue is that many of the shots that Valencians had become accustomed to seeing in the Town Hall square were valued at 15,000 or 20,000 euros or even more, but from the sector they recognize that they will now make dignified mascletaes, but the above cannot be reached because the situation is not the same.
The design will have to be adapted to the circumstances. The fact is that the two years of stoppage suffered by pyrotechnicians have resulted in the fact that there are employees and, above all triggers, who have changed sectors. That is, they have left work with gunpowder for others as varied as hospitality, countryside, construction or transport.
In addition, to all this is added that material as important in mascletaes as perchlorate, has become more expensive by 45% this year and 200% since 2019, and is an essential component along with aluminum to create the intense sound of mascletaes. Transportation and containers have also become more expensive.
As for the March shooting schedule, the program will be announced tomorrow at a gala at the Exhibition Palace, but what can be advanced is that it has been agreed that the pyrotechnician who makes the castle of the Nit de Foc does not shoot the mascletà and cream of San José. That is, one company will make the castle on March 18 and another the acts of San José. The effort will be distributed, since there are fewer triggers, and companies, in addition, have to comply with the shots of the commissions that were left pending in 2020