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.

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There are seasons that are remembered for the castles achieved and others for the path that must be traveled to reach them. Els Sagals d'Osona wanted to record this journey with Aixecar-se, the documentary they produced together with Canal Taronja and which was presented on June 28 at Espai ETC in Vic. The audiovisual offers an inside look at one of the team's most special campaigns, in which collective effort, emotions, and perseverance culminate in a season that is already part of its history.

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Els Minyons de Terrassa have been working for a long time to make castells an activity open to everyone. This commitment has now translated into the Acompanya'm project, an initiative developed jointly with Prodis and Escola Heura, which aims to make both the group's social headquarters, Cal Reig, and the experience of living a castells performance into fully cognitively accessible spaces.

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After the great level shown by the Xiquets de Valls for Saint John, the Castellers de Vilafranca arrived in Tarragona with the challenge of demonstrating that, this season, they are also prepared to aim for everything. The greens did not fail and completed a top-level performance by unloading three extra-category constructions: the first tower of 9 with folre and manilles of the course, the 4d9fa, and the pillar of 8 emmanillat. They rounded off the performance by unloading a new 3d9f.

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The Castellers de Barcelona have experienced one of the most special weekends in recent years with a tour of Switzerland that has combined a historic milestone, the promotion of Catalan culture, and the sponsorship of the Castellers de Lausanne. The expedition comprised around 200 people – 180 of them in uniform – and they turned the Helvetic country into the setting for a journey that goes far beyond the human towers.

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The Castellers de Barcelona made history this Thursday by completing a 3 of 7 at an altitude of 3,454 meters, at the Jungfraujoch station in the Swiss Alps. The structure, crowned next to the building known as Top of Europe, becomes the documented highest-raised castell.

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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 the Xiquets de Valls at the kilometer zero of the casteller event. Whatever it is, Sant Joan 2026 is now part of history. The extreme heat has not prevented the square from once again becoming the stage for one of those days that, with the passage of years, will be remembered.

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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.

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Quiet weekend on the casteller calendar before Sant Joan, although with solid performances and some notable movement.

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Pregnancy and motherhood represent an inevitable pause for castellers, but the real challenge often comes later. Regaining physical fitness, reorganizing family schedules, managing breastfeeding, or overcoming the feeling of missing important moments of childhood are, like in any job, some of the obstacles that appear on the way back to the square. A reality shared by many women in the casteller world and which, often, goes unnoticed behind great collective achievements.

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For weeks now, the casteller world has been breathing a clear feeling: the teams have started the season at a very high level. This Sunday, in El Vendrell, this intuition has finally been confirmed with facts. The Diada de les Colles Campiones del Concurs de Castells has been the definitive proof that we are facing one of the best season starts in recent years, with records that recall, and in some cases surpass, those of 2016. And most significantly: on June 7th alone, the first gamma extra unloaded of the season have already been seen.

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The forecasts are coming true and May is bidding farewell with a new set of nine-story towers. The Castellers de Sants unload the first 3d9f of the season at the Pla de la Seu festival in Barcelona and become the fifth group to reach this category this 2026. The borinots complete their best performance of the course with the tower of 8 with folre and the 4d8, in a day that also leaves notable achievements for the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls, the Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona and the Colla Castellera de Sant Pere i Sant Pau.

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Casteller rehearsals have changed profoundly over the last decade. Safety nets have become an essential tool for the groups that want to work on constructions of maximum difficulty with the necessary guarantees. While many formations have been adapting their venues to these needs, some have had to live with space limitations that made it difficult to develop modern and efficient systems.

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For years, every time a young child tops a human tower in front of thousands of people, the debate about the safety of castells resurfaces. The image of children several meters high continues to generate admiration, but also apprehension among those who see this practice as a particularly dangerous activity. Now, a study by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and the Santa Tecla Network provides data that question this negative perception.

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The human tower season continues to advance and this weekend has seen a new team enter the nine-story group. Minyons de Terrassa have completed the first 3d9f of the season at the Patrimoni festival, and four teams have now completed a 9-story tower in 2026, after Castellers de Vilafranca, Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls, and Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona.

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The third weekend of May has confirmed the good feelings that were already sensed in rehearsals, with various colles taking a step forward and, in some cases, advancing schedules. The squares of Valls, Vilafranca, and Gràcia have been the great epicenters of a weekend that is already leaving the first notable milestones of the season.

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The world of castells has traditionally been explained through emotion, tradition, and major festivals. But in recent years, a new way of understanding this universe has been gaining strength: the scientific perspective. Physics, mathematics, psychology, and architecture are some of the disciplines that help explain why castells work and what happens within a group beyond what is seen in the square.

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The human tower event of the second weekend in May has delivered the first major blows with the debut of the 9-story towers. The Castellers de Vilafranca completed the first 9-story tower of the season in Les Cabanyes by unloading the 3d9f, in a performance that also served to consolidate 8-story structures and those in the mid-range of 7. The 'verds' completed the 4d8 and the 2d7, in addition to the 9d7 and the 7d7.

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In the square, everything is ephemeral. It passes very quickly. The tower rises, trembles, is crowned, and comes down. It's a matter of minutes, very few. The epic lasts seconds. Afterwards, only the hugs remain, a photograph, and that feeling of having experienced something often inexplicable.

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The Minyons de Terrassa demonstrated their progress this Sunday, having slowed their pace to ensure the correct steps. They achieved their main goal of completing a 3 of 10 human tower with a lining and handcuffs. Other highlights of the weekend included the Castellers de Sants' double of 9-level human towers and the Jove de Barcelona's classic 8-level tower. The Minyons, true to their nature, tackled their main objective right from the start. After a first foot that was placed before the grallas (traditional Catalan instruments) even sounded, they raised it into a tower that never stopped moving. The children's speed was key to completing a structure that struggled with the placement of the handcuffs and quarters. A quick descent allowed them to finish the tower to the cheers of the Plaça Vella. With the first challenge overcome, the second was a 4 of 9 without a lining. total castle They climbed to the third level but didn't display their best qualities, with two rows too close together. In this case, a more measured ascent by the children put the crowd under pressure in a tower they were building. They mustered the strength to push it to the limit and complete the fender again after 26 years. With the collapse, they abandoned their attempt at a third level and finished with the 5 of 8. Thus, they ended with a bittersweet feeling, but having once again put the name of the Minyons on the map of the country's top human tower groups.

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