Vella and Joves, face to face again: Valls is already waiting for Santa Ursula

VallsValls will once again become the epicenter of the world of castells. From October 16th to 25th, the Santa Úrsula Fair will fill the city with popular culture, music, heritage, fire, and activities, but it will be on Sunday when all the focus will once again point toward a single place: the Plaça del Blat. There, the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and the Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls will star in a new battle with the precedent of one of the most extraordinary and tumultuous Santa Úrsula festivals in recent years.

The last Santa Úrsula left behind two images that are already part of the recent history of castells. On one hand, the Colla Vella unloaded the 4 de 10 amb folre i manilles, a castell they hadn't completed in eight years and which once again put on the table the ability of the 'rosats' to face the most extreme structures. On the other hand, the Colla Joves made the 'aleta' of the 2 de 9 sense manilles, a castell that had only been crowned three times before –all in Vilafranca– and which made the 'vermells' the second group in history capable of crowning it.

But that day will also be remembered for a rivalry pushed to the limit, for four and a half hours of performance, for the rain that conditioned technical decisions, and for a tension that even required the intervention of the local police. Santa Úrsula 2025 was an extraordinary demonstration of castell power and, a year later, the Plaça del Blat will reset the counter to zero.

La Vella, with an extraordinary range

The Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls arrives at the event after a season that has once again demonstrated its potential to tackle the highest difficulty human towers. The 'rosats' have exhibited an extraordinary range throughout the year and, except for some performances where things did not quite go as they had hoped, such as the one in la Bisbal del Penedès, they have maintained a very high bar and a consistency that allows them to face Santa Úrsula with ambition.

One of the great examples is the 4 of 9 without a base, which the Vella has been successfully completing with exceptional solvency and which is already one of its most reliable structures. But the 'rosats' ceiling has gone much further. At the Concurs de Castells, they finished in second position after loading, in the third round, the 3 of 9 without a base, the second in their history and one of the most difficult structures ever seen in a square. They also loaded the 4 of 10 with base and 'manilles' there.

The Vella's repertoire this year has been completed with first-rate constructions such as the 4 of 9 with base and pillar, the pillar of 8 with base and 'manilles', the 5 of 9 with base and the 7 of 9 with base. A range of maximums that opens up many possibilities for Sunday.

The Joves, eager to get over the thorn from the Concurs

The Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls arrives at Santa Úrsula eager to get over the disappointment of the Castells Competition, as they did not quite achieve the goals they had set. Despite loading the 3 of 10 with folre and manilles for the second time in their history, the result left a bittersweet aftertaste.

The reds, however, have more than enough arguments to look towards Santa Úrsula with ambition. Throughout the season, they have exhibited a notable mastery of the 4 of 9 without folre and have brought high-demand constructions to the square, such as the pillar of 8 with folre and manilles and the 2 of 9 with folre and manilles. Furthermore, at Sant Fèlix, they loaded the 2 of 8 without folre.

With the Plaça del Blat as the stage and the rivalry with the Vella as a backdrop, the Joves now have a new opportunity to turn the frustration of the Competition into a stimulus. Santa Úrsula is the day that everyone wants to win in Valls, and the reds arrive there with the desire to take a step forward, reclaim their season, and demonstrate that they have much more to say.

Much more than a castellera day

Santa Úrsula arrives this year with a special look at the 'casteller' (human tower) heritage. The 75th anniversary of the sculpture El Casteller, by Josep Busquets i Òdena, will be one of the symbols of this edition. Created in 1951 for the Decennial Festivals of the Mare de Déu de la Candela, the piece has become one of the icons of Valls. On Friday the 23rd, the leaders of the Vella and Joves groups will perform the 'enfaixada' (sashing ceremony), accompanied by the Bufalodre 'grallers' (traditional flute players).

The Fair's program also incorporates a reflection on the present and future of the 'castells'. The 14th Casteller Symposium of Catalonia will address issues such as the economy, innovation, technical evolution, team leadership, and communication. The programming will be completed with heritage and history proposals, such as the day dedicated to the relationship between Antoni Gaudí and the Xiquets de Valls, and with a popular offering that will fill the city with giants, 'correfocs' (fire runs), music, and family activities.