Castells of Tarragona Competition

The Castells Competition of Tarragona, which takes place every two years during the first weekend of October in the Tarraco Arena Plaça (TAP), is an exceptional and unique casteller performance for several reasons.

First, it is the only castellers festival with a clearly competitive format. This means it operates according to written rules, a scoring system, a jury responsible for resolving disputes, and a final ranking. Participating groups have a maximum of five rounds to attempt to build their human towers. The three best castells achieved determine each group's score and, consequently, their final position.

The Castells Competition also stands out for the large number of participating groups. A total of 30 groups perform at the TAP (Terminal de Autobuses de Palermo), divided between Saturday afternoon, with 18 groups, and Sunday morning, reserved for the 12 best. These are in addition to the 12 groups that participate in the event held the previous Sunday in Torredembarra. Thus, the competition brings together a total of 42 groups, invited according to the Star Ranking, a classification based on the results obtained during the previous year.

Furthermore, the Castells Competition is an extraordinary event due to the great anticipation it generates among enthusiasts. Tickets to witness it live at the TAP usually sell out shortly after going on sale. It also has significant media coverage, with increasing interest from national and international media outlets, attracted by the scale and spectacular nature of the event.

The Castells Competition is also one of the most traditional events on the casteller calendar. The first edition, held in the Tarragona bullring (now the TAP), took place in 1932. Since 1970, the biennial event has been held in this venue without interruption, although for some years it did not strictly adhere to the competition format.

For all these reasons, the Castells Competition can be considered the world's largest casteller spectacle. In this sense, the Tarragona City Council, responsible for its organization, works to ensure that the event is a grand celebration for the entire casteller community and, at the same time, a showcase and driving force for this cultural expression, recognized by UNESCO and included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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