The Castellers de Vilafranca made history on Sunday, 30 August 2026, by becoming the first human tower team ever to successfully dismantle a pilar de 9 amb folre, manilles i puntals during the Sant Fèlix festival in Vilafranca del Penedès. The landmark achievement occurred at 4.05pm in front of a packed Plaça de la Vila, marking a defining moment in casteller history.

Unprecedented Day of Gamma Extra Towers

The diada saw record-breaking performances across all four participating colles: Castellers de Vilafranca, Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls, Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls, and Jove de Tarragona. A total of 16 gamma extra castells were attempted, with 13 successfully dismantled, including four ten-storey towers, a feat never before achieved in a single day.

The day began with a solemn tribute to Manel Huguet ‘Gatsby’, a late member of the Castellers de Vilafranca, as each colla built a five-storey pillar in silence. From there, standards soared. The Colla Vella opened with a flawless 4d9 sense folre, followed by Jove de Tarragona’s 5d9f. The Vilafranca team then completed their 3d10fm, their third of the season, dedicating it to Gatsby.

A Historic Pinnacle Achieved

"Por primera vez en la historia, los Verds conseguían lo que no ha hecho nadie: descargar el pilar de 9 amb folre, manilles i puntals."

This declaration from La Vanguardia captures the magnitude of the final triumph. Though the structure had been previously charged, this was the first full dismantling in history. The pilar requires immense strength and precision, with reinforced layers (folre), interlocked arms (manilles), and central support poles (puntals) enabling the nine levels. Only Castellers de Vilafranca have brought it to plaza before, with earlier attempts dating back over a decade.

  • First successful dismantle of a pilar de 9 amb folre, manilles i puntals
  • Four ten-storey castells built or charged in one diada
  • Jove de Tarragona completes four gamma extra towers, their best-ever performance
  • Colla Vella achieves their finest Sant Fèlix result, surpassing 2016

Team Performances and Key Moments

Despite high difficulty, execution remained remarkably consistent. The Colla Vella attempted the 4d10fm twice; while it collapsed initially, they succeeded in charging it, a milestone for the season. Jove de Tarragona completed their third 3d10fm and finished with a stable 8d9f, their seventh of the season.

The Castellers de Vilafranca also attempted the 4d10fm, which broke during ascent, their first fall of the year, but later completed a challenging 3d9fa, showing resilience. The Joves de Valls ended their run with an 8d8sf, the first time this season the structure appeared in plaza, though it ultimately fell.

In the final rounds, all three senior teams completed 8-storey pillars with folre and manilles, raising anticipation ahead of the historic finale. By 4.36pm, the last tower had been dismantled, closing a diada now regarded as the greatest in Sant Fèlix history.

Primary sources: mataro.cat, capitaleconomiasocial.mataro.cat. Reported by el3devuit.cat, lavanguardia.com, diaricatalunya.cat, elperiodico.com, en.ara.cat, revistacastells.cat, Infocamp, El Periódico, ca.wikipedia.org, rtve.es, El 3 de Vuit.