The Plaça del Blat in Valls has something that defies rational explanation. Call it magic, tradition, or simply the effect of bringing together the two groups of Xiquets de Valls at the kilometer zero of the casteller phenomenon. Whatever it is, Sant Joan 2026 is already part of history. The extreme heat has not prevented the square from once again becoming the setting for one of those days that, over the years, will be remembered.

Sant Joan is synonymous with the start of summer, as the saying goes. It's a time for firecrackers and parties that go on until dawn, for coca and cava and, why not say it, also for great castells. Because yes, casteller-wise, the arrival of June 24th marks a turning point in the season. The calendar enters a new dimension and the groups begin to show their best cards. Valls and Tarragona will once again concentrate a large part of the attention of the casteller world in two events that, year after year, serve to gauge the state of form of the groups and begin to outline the great objectives of the summer.This year, however, the tempos have advanced. Before reaching Sant Joan, we have already seen several groups that have managed to build basic nine-story castles and, even, some premature incursions into the extra range. All this suggests that the main formations arrive at the end of June with more work done than in other seasons. Despite this, the festivals of Valls and Tarragona continue to maintain their specific weight within the calendar.The first great duel from Valls in Plaça del BlatThe Colla Vella and the Colla Joves will first meet on the night of June 23rd in Plaça del Blat with the traditional Completes performance, a day that preserves all the essence of old-style human towers and usually offers the first clues about the intentions of the two groups. Less than 24 hours later, the same venue will host the great Sant Joan performance, an event that year after year marks the start of the strong part of the human tower season.In Plaça del Blat, the quintessential stage for human tower rivalry, Colla Vella and Colla Joves arrive with important aspirations. The rosats have had a convincing start to the season and have progressively expanded their range of constructions. The work done with the basic nine-level towers allows them to start looking towards other objectives and face Sant Joan with various options open. The 5d9f continues to be one of the structures that generates the most excitement, but rehearsals also hint at the possibility of seeing other top-difficulty constructions such as the 7 of 9 with folre, the 4 of 9 with folre and agulla, or the pillar of 8 with folre and manilles.The situation of Joves is different, but equally promising. The reds have advanced with more caution during the first weeks of the course, consolidating pieces before making the leap to the big challenges. Now, however, the time has come to accelerate. The group from Gassó street is working with an eye on superior constructions and with the desire to present themselves at Sant Joan with everything. The 2 of 9 with folre and manilles and the pillar of 8 with folre and manilles appear as some of the most notable objectives.Tarragona's groups want to bring premieres for Sant JoanIn Tarragona, the festival also arrives loaded with attractions. The Colla Jove is the one that, at present, presents the most solid credentials. The lilacs have completed a very consistent start to the season and recently achieved the earliest magical triplet in their history. With the basic castles of nine fully consolidated and the pillar of 7 with folre already debuted, all eyes are now on the 2 of 9 with folre and manilles. If the rehearsals in the coming hours support it, those from Cós del Bou could become the first group of the year to debut this construction.

The heatwave will peak this Monday, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in several parts of the country, but it will still last until Wednesday and will be one of the main protagonists of the Sant Joan's Eve. The deputy director of Civil Protection, Imma Solé, has called for "prudence" and stressed that surveillance has been intensified to "minimize" the risk of fires, which is very high due to high temperatures, low relative humidity, and the coincidence with the festivities. For the Generalitat Firefighters, Sant Joan's Eve is the busiest night of the year, which is why the corps will increase by 30% the number of teams working during the festivities.

Heatwave, Sant Joan and more than 600,000 vehicles leaving the Barcelona area. In the next four days, the Servei Català de Trànsit (Catalan Traffic Service) predicts high mobility on Catalan roads. Between today, Friday, and tomorrow, Saturday, it is estimated that 610,000 vehicles will leave the metropolitan area, and on Sunday, about 290,000 will return. For the vigil, on the night of June 23, the departure of 490,000 vehicles is expected between 12 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday, and the return of 240,000 on Wednesday, mainly from midday onwards. In fact, by 8 p.m., 267,000 vehicles had already left the Barcelona metropolitan area.

With the arrival of summer, forests and agricultural lands across the country are threatened by high temperatures, low humidity, and dry vegetation, but also by human activity, which is the main cause of fires in Catalonia, whether by accident or negligence or by intentional acts. Experts and authorities warn that the country has fully entered the high fire risk season and, in fact, this weekend, several simultaneous fires in the natural environment in Lleida have strained emergency services. At present, the Government has activated level 3 out of 4 – very high fire danger – in about fifty municipalities in Ponent and Central Catalonia, and on the eve of Sant Joan's Eve, the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, has asked the public for "maximum caution" when setting off fireworks – they must be at least 500 meters away from forests and natural surroundings – and when lighting bonfires.

The Blat de Valls square once again marked a turning point in the season. The Joves de Valls and Colla Vella groups arrived with a top-notch program and managed to secure the first castellers of the extra-range variety seen this season. Furthermore, this festival had some spectacular performances: the reds had the best San Juan in their history, and the rosés an unprecedented finish. The castellers performed under blazing sunshine and temperatures exceeding 33 degrees.

Today is Saint John's Day, and like every year, last night I received a ton of messages toasting the coming summer. For some reason, This title (from a novel of mine published in 2013) struck a chord with readers who share this weakness for the night of San Juan.

Catalonia faces the first phase of the operation to exit the Sant Joan bridge this Friday afternoon. The Catalan Traffic Service predicts that 470,000 vehicles will leave the metropolitan area and that the return will affect 260,000 more. At this time of the afternoon, the first queues are already being recorded, especially on the AP-7 and at the entrances to Barcelona.

The San Juan festival, held on the night of June 23rd and 24th, is one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. This magical night offers a range of activities that combine tradition, festivity, and fire, celebrating the arrival of summer and the good weather. We present 10 activities spread across the region so you can enjoy this evening.

Many of us await the arrival of summer with candles, an indicator of good weather and the approaching holidays. But humans have been aware of the summer solstice for thousands of years, the moment when this season begins and marked on the calendar as a special date. For this reason, in many cultures, the arrival of summer represents one of the most important festivities of the year, many of which revolve around fire as their main symbol.

Barcelona is preparing for a Sant Joan festival which will be reminiscent of 2019. It is focussing on two points: the first is crowds on the beaches, where around 60,000 people are expected to gather; the other is wooded areas, due to the high risk of fire throughout Catalonia. "We are in a critical moment and any carelessness can cause a fire," warned Security councillor Albert Batlle, who recalled the ban on the use of fire within 500 meters of wooded areas, and remarked that the Guardia Urbana will pay special attention to the parts of the city that are closer to the mountains. The city adds one more recommendation: avoiding as far as possible launching fireworks and sky lanterns, as they pose a fire risk. The head of the Civil Protection, Fire Prevention and Rescue Service, Sebastià Massagué, has asked for "extreme caution" and avoiding this kind of pyrotechnics.

Barcelona will open all the beaches during the festival of San Juan (the evening of the 23 June) until six in the morning. But with conditions: the use of tents, music equipment and the entry of alcoholic beverages will not be allowed. In addition, the Guardia Urbana (the City Police) will make controls at the entrances to avoid crowds - also in the parking lots, to ensure that there is not a large accumulation of vehicles - and will monitor that attendees meet the "elementary" health standards of coexistence, ie, that there is sufficient distance between groups, that everyone wears a face mask, and that no alcohol is drunk.