The Xiquets de Tarragona are again a 9-person group, El Serrallo makes history and La Jove consolidates the 2d9fm in Torredembarra

Extra range recital and return of the mattresses to the nine floors

The Plaça del Pou in Altafulla has once again become the epicenter of the casteller world with a top-level Diada de les Cultures, marked by the second major showdown of the season between the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and the Castellers de Vilafranca, as well as the return of the Xiquets de Tarragona to the nine-story castells. In a day commemorating the 25th anniversary of the diada, the four participating teams offered a high-voltage performance that confirms the excellent moment the casteller world is experiencing at the start of summer.

The heat gave a reprieve compared to previous days, but the intensity in the square was maintained from start to finish. Expectations were at their peak for a new duel between the two teams currently leading the gamma extra castells, and neither disappointed. Both the Castellers de Vilafranca and the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls completed almost identical performances, demonstrating extraordinary mastery of the large structures and sending a clear message for the most demanding events of the season.

The Castellers de Vilafranca opened the first round with the year's first 9d8. A construction that demanded great endurance, as the three lifts were completed with a single enxaneta, significantly prolonging the execution time. The response from Colla Vella was not long in coming. The pink team discharged a well-defended 5d9f, consolidating one of the structures they best master at the start of this season and resolving it with their usual composure.

The second round again offered a genuine contest between the two groups. Both Vilafranca and Valls teams discharged the 4d9fp, one of the most technical constructions in the current casteller scene, unleashing the ovation of an enthralled Plaça del Pou. In the third round, the greens discarded the manillada tower of nine and opted for the 3d9f, the same construction that Colla Vella also completed with authority. Both groups continue to expand their repertoire of guarantees before facing the great challenges of the coming weeks.

The grand finale arrived with a spectacular round of pillars. Both Colla Vella and Castellers de Vilafranca discharged the pd8fm, culminating two practically identical performances.

Beyond the duel between greens and pinks, the day also left news especially celebrated by the Xiquets de Tarragona. The mattress makers have recovered the nine-story castles by unloading the 4d9f, the thirtieth in their history and the first they have managed to complete since Sant Magí in 2024. The festival had begun with a solid 7d8, which already hinted at the good feelings of the group.

The path to the nine-story castle, however, has not been without difficulties. On a first attempt at 4d9f, the construction rose too slowly and with some evident doubts in the structure, which led the group to dismantle it with good judgment. Far from affecting them, the Tarragona residents knew how to recover, corrected the necessary details, and faced the second attempt with a completely different mentality. This time, the 4d9f proved much more secure from start to finish and certified the return of the striped-shirted team to the elite of the nine stories. The Xiquets closed their performance with a 3d8 that rounded off a particularly significant day and reinforces the good feelings of a group that faces July with the aim of continuing to expand its range of constructions.

The hosts, the Castellers d'Altafulla, also had prominence in a very special edition of the Diada de les Cultures. The local group confidently completed the 3d7 and the 4d7 before tackling the first 4d7p of the season. The main structure was resolved without complications, but the inner pillar ended up giving way when the enxaneta was already starting the descent, leaving the tower only charged. Despite this outcome, the Altafulla members contributed to the success of a day that, coinciding with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the festival, will be marked by the high level of tower building offered in the Plaça del Pou.

El Serrallo makes history at home

The Xiquets del Serrallo continue to write outstanding pages in their history with a start to the season that continues to exceed expectations. The Diada de la Mare de Déu del Carme has served for the Tarragona group to confirm the great moment they are experiencing by completing, for the first time, the 3d8. The construction, which until now they had only loaded once, for Sant Magí last year, has been the icing on the cake of a performance that also included the 4d8 and the 5d7, thus becoming the best performance in the history of those from the maritime neighborhood.

The evolution of the Serrallencs has been constant since the beginning of the season. After a start marked by the consolidation of the 2d7 as one of their reference castles, the group took a giant leap just two weeks ago with the first completed 4d8 in their history. Far from settling for that milestone, those in the navy blue shirts have continued to work with the same ambition and have once again shown that the ceiling is still far away. In the square, the Serrallencs have reliably repeated the 4d8, confirming that the big structure is no longer an exceptional construction, but a castle that is beginning to consolidate within their repertoire. But the main objective of the day came later. The 3d8, which a year ago had only been partially completed, has been presented this time with more confidence and a much more mature structure. The castle has withstood the inherent difficulties of eight floors and has been completed amidst an explosion of shared joy between the castellers and the fans. The performance has been rounded off with the 5d7, which has completed a top-level performance for the Serrallencs. Beyond the castles achieved, the feeling is that the group is living one of the best moments of its career, the result of sustained work in rehearsals and growth that becomes evident performance after performance.

Alongside them, the Bordegassos de Vilanova once again demonstrated the consistency they are exhibiting this season. They completed the 3d8 and the 4d8 with great solvency, confirming for the third performance this season the two basic eight-story castles. The group showed good stability in both structures, evidencing that they are now part of their usual repertoire. They rounded off the event with a 5d7 that hints at the group's potential to tackle more difficult constructions in the coming weeks.

The Jove de Sitges also emerged strengthened from the day, having unloaded the second 4d8 of the season, thus consolidating the renovation they have carried out on several levels of the castle. Despite some important absences, the Sitges team maintained their planned roadmap and also completed the first 3d7 from below of the year and a 5d7 that closed a very complete performance.

Finally, the Castellers de Lleida, for their part, completed a performance consisting of the 2d7, the 4d8, and the 4d7a, a construction that continues to be a key piece in the preparation for future goals. The group also attempted the pd6, which was loaded after giving way in the final stretch of the descent. Despite this, the Lleida team continues to accumulate experience with a structure they are confident of consolidating during this season.

The Jove from Tarragona scores a new 2de9fm in the Quadre

The Diada of the Quadre de Santa Rosalia in Torredembarra has left one of the most notable human tower images of the weekend with the second 2d9fm of the season for the Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona. The event, however, could not be completed normally after the fall of the 4d9f of the Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls, an unforeseen event that forced the performance to be interrupted for nearly an hour and which ultimately led to its suspension when the square was left without the medicalized ambulances required by protocol. A minor was transferred to the Hospital de Valls for a contusion and was discharged shortly after.

Before the interruption, the Plaça de la Vila had witnessed a high-level performance. The Colla Jove de Tarragona turned the chained tower into the main protagonist of the afternoon. The 'lilies' authoritatively unloaded their second 2d9fm of the year, confirming that the human tower is already part of their usual repertoire well before the decisive stage of the season. In addition to the technical value of the tower, the construction also had a symbolic component. This is the first human tower with chains unloaded ever in Torredembarra, a milestone that enhances the historical record of the square and reinforces the will of the Tarragona group to accumulate experience with structures of maximum difficulty before facing even more ambitious goals such as the 10-level human towers. The suspension of the event, however, prevented the Cós del Bou group from completing the planned program, which was to include the two basic nine-level towers and the pd7f.

For their part, the Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls had also started the performance with good feelings. The Valls team opened with a worked 3d9f, which they managed to defend despite some difficulties in the exit of the dosos. In the second round they opted for the 4d9f, a construction that seemed well underway until after the alleta. When the children were already leaving, the structure lost stability in the upper floors and ended up giving way. The fall activated the sanitary device and two of the three medically equipped ambulances present in the square had to abandon the performance to carry out the corresponding transfers. Without the minimum sanitary resources required to continue raising castles of eight or more floors, the day was stopped for almost an hour. Given the impossibility of recovering the device, the organizers opted to end the performance.

The only ones who managed to complete the three planned castles were the Nois de la Torre. The hosts began by unloading the 7d7 and, immediately after, they successfully faced the first 2d7 of the season, a structure that continues to demand a lot of work, but which the team managed to control until unloading it. The 5d7 served to conclude one of the best performances by the Torrenc team at the Quadre de Santa Rosalia.

A new magical triplet of the Borinots

Els Castellers de Sants have said goodbye to the first part of the season in the best possible way. At their Summer Festival, the 'borinots' (a nickname for the group) reliably completed the magic triplet, confirming the great form the group is in before the summer break. After a very consistent start to the year, during which they have already unloaded several nine-story castles and recovered structures of maximum difficulty, the Barcelonans face the second half of the season with their sights set on returning to extra-level castles.

The festival also saw an unusual construction from Castellers d'Esplugues, who unloaded the 4d7 from below after having completed the 3d7 from below. The Esplugues team rounded off the performance with the 5d7, demonstrating their good command of this type of structure.

Finally, Capgrossos de Mataró, also present at the event, unloaded the classic eight and completed a great weekend, debuting the 7d8 in Premià de Mar, a further step in the preparation for the Festa Major de Les Santes. For their part, Castellers de Badalona completed the 5d7, although they couldn't manage the 3d7a, which they had to dismantle on two occasions.

Gràcia leads a great festival in Vic

The Festa Major of Vic has once again brought together three groups in good form and has delivered a high-level performance, with Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia as the main protagonists. The Gràcia team exhibited an ambitious repertoire, led by the sixth tower of 8 with folre they have completed this season, a construction that continues to consolidate itself as one of their great strengths. The Barcelona group also tackled the 4d8a, which was loaded after the inner pillar gave way during the descent, when the enxaneta had already begun the climb down. Despite this outcome, the Gràcia team's plans were not altered and they completed the performance by discharging the pd6, closing a new day that confirms their upward trajectory.

For their part, the Marrecs de Salt also put in a very complete performance. They unloaded three eight-story castles, among which the second 7d8 of the season stood out, a further sign of the good moment the Girona group is experiencing in this part of the calendar.

Finally, the Sagals d'Osona completed the classic eight, leaving behind the difficulties that had marked the beginning of the course. After having premiered the basic eight-story castles by loading them, the Osona group has managed to consolidate these structures and continues to regain sensations with an eye on the challenges of the second half of the season such as the 2d8f or the 7d8.

Round day in Esparreguera

The square of Esparreguera has experienced a special day with a performance marked by good harmony between two groups with a history of parallel paths. The Moixiganguers from Igualada have returned to perform in the town after several years of absence and have done so with a display of confidence, while the Castellers d'Esparreguera have achieved the best festival of their history in terms of points.

The Igualada team arrived in Esparreguera with the objective of continuing to work on high-difficulty castles and faced a tower of 8 with a 'folre' (support) that also served as a testbed for future challenges. The 2d8f was presented with a lighter 'folre' than usual, a configuration that allows the group to advance in the preparation of higher structures such as the 2d9fm. Finally, they completed a performance also made up of the 3d8 and the 4d8, leaving the 5d8 aside.

The locals were the main protagonists of the festival. The ones with the sky-blue shirts completed a historic performance with the 3d7 from below, the 5d7, and the 7d7, a triplet that places them in the best record of their career. The 7d7, moreover, has been the first they have completed this year after having premiered it for the first time last year.

Els Xicots shine in La Granada with their best performance

La Granada del Penedès has once again been the setting for a special day for the Xicots de Vilafranca, a venue closely linked to the group's history and where they arrive each year with the desire to showcase their best repertoire. This year, the Vilafranca team has put all their energy into it and responded with a performance that reflects the good moment they are going through. The Xicots have completed the 4d8, the 5d7, and the 7d7, three constructions that represent the group's current ceiling.

On the same day, the Colla Castellera de Sant Pere i Sant Pau has confirmed the great form they are in with a complete performance. The Tarragona-based team have unloaded the classic 8 and added the pd6, demonstrating consistency and ambition at this stage of the season.

Finally, the Xiquets de Reus have had the 2d7 as the most notable construction of their performance. They accompanied it with the 5d7 and the 4d7a.