Lancashire town burns dinosaur for Bonfire Night
Spanish city of Valencia comes to Lancaster for a night of fire, food and fun
THE Spanish get up to all sorts in the name of culture – but for Bonfire Night they are going a step further.
Tonight, they will burn a giant dinosaur in Lancaster city centre.
It’s part of a plan to promote Valencia’s Las Fallas festival, which takes place in March.
The Spanish city, near the Costa Blanca, hosts one of the most incredible displays of fire on earth. More than 400 giant papier-mache floats are set ablaze on the city streets, a show that has won it a place on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
They’re celebrating the honour on the list with an outing to Lancashire.
It’s not that random: Light Up Lancaster is a big event for the little city; a festival of art and light to coincide with Bonfire Night.
Playing on the Lancashire city’s history, Valencian artist Mario Gual del Olmo is building a papier-mache dinosaur. It was Lancaster-born biologist Sir Richard Owen who coined the word dinosaur for the first time. He is depicted alongside other local figures such as Richard Arkwright, inventor of the spinning wheel.
The float will be erected in Dalton Square on November 3 and set ablaze on November 4. To complete the Spanish theme, they will be cooking up a giant paella in the city centre too; see lightuplancaster.co.uk.
To visit Valencia yourself, check and for fares.
