What is the Concurs de Castells?
The Concurs de Castells is a 'castells' festival that takes place every 2 years with the main 'colles' in Catalonia. Unlike most events, the 'Concurs de Castells' is a proper competition in which the position of the 'colles' in the final classification is determined by the difficulty of the 'castells' (human towers) completed during the event.
Who organizes the Concurs de Castells?
The Tarragona City Council sets and organizes the Concurs de Castells. Since 2014, it’s also had the collaboration of the Torredembarra City Council.
When and where is it celebrated?
The Concurs de Castells takes place every 2 years and is traditionally held on the first weekend of October on even years. Currently, it consists of 3 events: one held on the last Sunday of September, in the Plaça del Castell in Torredembarra; and 2 held on the first Saturday and Sunday of October, at the Tarraco Arena Plaça (TAP) in Tarragona.
How many 'colles' take part in it?
Currently, a total of 42 'colles' (groups) take part in this competition, which are distributed as follows: 12 colles in Torredembarra; 18 on the Saturday event, at TAP, and 12 on the Sunday event, also at TAP.
How are the participating 'colles' selected?
'Colles' are selected according to their position in what is known as Ranking Estrella, a classification that evaluates the best performances of the 'colles' from the 1st of September of the year prior to the competition until the 31st of August of the year of the competition. The 'colles' classified between the 42nd and 31st position will perform in Torredembarra; those classified between the 30th and 13th position will perform on Saturday in Tarragona, and the first 12 'colles' will do so on the last event due on Sunday, also in Tarragona.
How does a 'colla' win the Concurs de Castells?
All the 'colles' have up to 5 opportunities (rounds) to try their best 'castells', all of which have a predetermined score. For the final classification, only the 3 best 'castells', that is, with the highest score, are picked. The 'colla' with the most points at the end of the competition is the winner of the Concurs de Castells.
What is the scoreboard?
It is a document that provides all the 'castells' that can be attempted during the Concurs de Castells and their score, which is determined according to their difficulty. This scoreboard is approved by an Advisory Commission and published months before the competition.
What are the prizes?
The colles will get a financial compensation based on their position in the final classification. The economic amount is set by the prize table.
Who is the jury?
Currently, the jury is made up of 7 people who are experts in the 'castells' world. One of these members acts as the president and is appointed directly by the Concurs de Castells organization. The other 6 members are appointed by the first 6 classified 'colles' in the previous edition of the competition.
How can you attend as an audience?
The 2 days of the Concurs de Castells held in Tarragona can be accessed by purchasing a ticket, which can only be purchased online at https://entrades.tarragona.cat. Children up to 3 years old do not need a ticket, but will not have a dedicated seat. The event in Torredembarra has free access.
Are there any further questions you can't find in this FAQ's document? Send them to us at comunicacio@concursdecastells.cat with you name and surname, and we'll be happy to answer back and add your question to such document.
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