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Castells

Human towers, the tallest and most striking ever seen, rise year after year, keeping one of our most thrilling traditions alive. If you like a bit of adrenaline, get ready: here, vertigo is not something to avoid, but something to celebrate.
A group of people wearing blue shirts raise their arms and hold hands, forming a collective structure in the middle of a square. Some wear red scarves on their wrists, and the scene conveys coordination, strength, and team spirit, in an urban setting with buildings in the background.
A group of young people wearing light grey shirts and black sashes are finishing unloading a castell in front of a building in Plaça Sant Jaume. One of them shouts with an arm raised, celebrating the success of having completed the castell, while the others hold on to maintain balance.

In the castells, everyone is needed, but no one is essential on their own. That is where their strength lies: a clear expression of collective effort and belonging.

Identity

The colles (teams) embody the values behind the castells. There are now more than a hundred of them, spread across Catalan-speaking regions. Beyond the name, what sets them apart is their attire: each colla has its own shirt colour, while the neckerchief is often red.

Some groups are relatively new and build smaller towers (though even a six-storey structure can hardly be called small). Others are more experienced and attempt the so-called gamma extra (the most difficult towers). Some have fewer than a hundred members; others can bring together close to a thousand on the biggest occasions. All of them, however, share the same essence: building together something no one could achieve alone.

Close-up of several castellers wearing pink shirts and red headscarves and wristbands, standing very close together and holding on tightly to form the base. Their faces show concentration and effort, conveying cohesion, coordination, and intensity during the performance.

We have been building castells for more than two hundred years. They began in the Penedès and Camp de Tarragona, with roots also in the Valencian Community, and are now found across Catalonia, from the Ebro to Perpignan.

History

With origins in the 18th century and links that reach even further back, castells now go far beyond squares. More than a performance, they are a living expression of identity at every level: village, neighbourhood, city and country. Every tower is a collective statement, a way of showing who we are. A symbol of Catalan identity built, quite literally, together.

In black and white, a group of people standing very close together lift a casteller from the base. Several hands intertwine and support the body firmly, conveying collective effort and concentration in a historical scene of popular tradition.
Castellers
In black and white, a multi-level castell raised in an open space, surrounded by an audience. At the base, a large group of people supports the structure while the castellers climb to the top. In the background, a large grandstand filled with spectators and a building with a central arch can be seen, in a scene that conveys tradition, balance, and collective strength.
© Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona Pérez de Rozas
Close-up of a woman wearing a red shirt with her hands together near her mouth, as a sign of concern or anticipation. She has yellow-painted nails, with a floral detail on one of them, and a small tattoo on her wrist. The scene conveys concentration and support during a collective performance.
Castellers wearing maroon shirts and white trousers form a human tower in Plaça de Sant Jaume, in front of a historic building with an ornate façade and shuttered windows. Several levels of the structure are visible as the audience watches from below, in a scene that conveys tradition, balance, and teamwork.

Strength, balance, courage and seny (good judgement): this is the casteller motto. Without all four, a tower is not even considered.

Unity

Beyond the spectacle in the square, the world of castells is built on hundreds of hours of practice, far from anything improvised. It relies on careful preparation of roles, structure and physical effort, where every position matters and every relationship, inside and outside the tower, has a purpose.

These towers are performed during diades castelleres (gatherings), when groups from across the country come together to present their best work. The season traditionally begins on Sant Joan and ends on Santa Úrsula. But this is not just competition. It is about taking the name of the group and the town as high as they can go.

Close-up of a person wearing a light-colored shirt, smiling while holding a red polka-dot scarf in their mouth. A blurred hand passes in front of the camera, and the scene conveys a spontaneous and intimate moment.

Today, the highest level of the castells reaches ten storeys, with structures that can weigh over 10,000 kg and involve close to a thousand people.

A group of castellers wearing green shirts form the base of a human castell while supporting a teammate climbing above them. Several hands help him maintain balance, and at the center a man with a focused expression can be seen holding the shirt lapels in his mouth. The scene conveys strength, coordination, and teamwork in a neutral setting.

Upcoming castell gatherings

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