The Castells Competition (The Concurs de Castells de Tarragona) is the world's largest human tower show, held every two years on the first weekend of October. The unique event, which gathers a total of 42 colles (groups), consists of 3 parts. The first part takes place on the last Sunday of September in the Plaça del Castell in Torredembarra, and the last two parts take place on the first Saturday and Sunday of October at the ancient bullfighting rink, Tarraco Arena Plaça (TAP) in Tarragona, 100 km away from Barcelona,
Competition History
Constructing human towers or castells is a rural cultural phenomenon of Catalonia, declared Cultural and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The phenomenon emerged between the 18th century and the 19th century in the area of Camp de Tarragona and Penedès. It has gradually become popular throughout Catalonia and beyond. The first edition of The Concurs de Castells de Tarragona was held in 1932. Since 1980, the competition has taken place in the Tarraco Arena Plaça. The idea of a competition was suggested by musician Pau Casals, a native of El Vendrell and a fan of 'Castells.' Casals presided over the 1932 and 1933 editions of the competition.
Tickets
The first Concurs de Castells event in Torredembarra is free for the public to attend. However, attendees need tickets for the last two days of the competition held in Tarragona. Tickets can be purchased online on the official website of the The Concurs de Castells (in the External Resources section below). Children up to 3 years old can get in for free.
In 2022, the colle from Vilafranca beat competitors to take the top spot and win 16,000 euros ($15,679). Their tower reached ten tiers high — around 43 ft (13 m). Every year, over 40 teams register and try very harder to showcase their determination. Don't miss the event that is both traditional and inspiring and occurs yearly in a close vicinity to Barcelona!
