Human Tower Building: This Sunday, October 2, 2016

TARRAGONA, Spain, Sept. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Background:
Castells are a spectacular activity half way between tradition and sports that consists of groups of people climbing on top of each other trying to crown and deconstruct towers without collapsing.

The Castells were born more than 200 years ago in Valls, Spain, a small town (pop. 25,000) 100 kilometers south of Barcelona.

Their origin began with the "Ball de Valencians," a folk dance that included a final human tower. That tower began to gain importance among the groups of "Ball de Valencians" that they started competing to see who could build the tallest tower.  

In the beginning of the 19^th Century, the tower became so significant that they stopped performing the rest of the dance.  And the "colles castelleres" (human tower groups) were born.

On 16 November 2010, UNESCO approved the inclusion of castells on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This made human towers a universal tradition, with the highest level of recognition that can be given to an element of popular culture.

About the Event

• The 3-day Concurs de Castells event takes place every 2 years.
• This year, the event will take place on October 2-3 in Tarragona, Spain.
• There will be 42 different teams competing for the title. Each team has five opportunities to build a tower.
• On average, each tower has about 200 people of all shapes and sizes participating. The average weight of a tower could reach more than 17,700 kg. That's the weight of three African elephants.
• The towers are compact and designed to absorb a fall. In the event of a collapse, the tower will fall within itself to avoid injury.
• This season (2016) started with 88 'colles' (human tower teams), and over 12,000 'castellers' (tower builders). An estimated 13,000 different towers have been built over time according to Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya.
• So far in 2016, the highest tower completed, the 3 de 10, by Castellers de Vilafranca and Colla Vella de Valls.

How to Watch the Concurs de Castells:
The Concurs de Castells in Tarragona, Spain will air live on Red Bull TV beginning at midnight, Sunday, October 2, 2016. This will be the only way to watch the event (unless you're there!).

SOURCE Red Bull TV

Related Links

http://www.redbull.tv