Castellers de Vilafranca completed four gamma extra, or highest-difficulty, human towers at the Festa Major of L'Arboç, including their second completed 3d10fm of the season. The result gave spectators at the festival a programme featuring one ten-level tower and three further elite constructions.

The 3d10fm is a three-person-wide tower rising to ten levels, built with a folre and manilles, reinforcing support bases. Vilafranca completed it in the opening round after a slight initial movement, which settled as the children reached the top.

“Vilafranca, Vilafranca.”

Members of the Vilafranca group, known for their green shirts, chanted after the tower was completed.

Four highest-difficulty constructions for Vilafranca

  • 3d10fm: three people per level over ten levels, with folre and manilles.
  • 5d9f: a five-person structure over nine levels, with a folre.
  • 4d9fp: a four-person structure over nine levels, with a folre and an internal pillar.
  • Pd8fm: an eight-level single-column pillar, with a folre and manilles.

The 5d9f caused a tense moment when the enxaneta, the child who crowns the tower, slipped while climbing over the two-person level. The group nevertheless completed the construction.

Vilafranca completed the 4d9fp in the third round before finishing with the pd8fm. The group chanted “one level more” after the final pillar, referring to the forthcoming Sant Fèlix festival.

Other groups complete their planned towers

Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls completed the 4d9 without a folre, the 4d9f, the 3d9f and a six-level pillar. It was their fourth completed 4d9 without a folre of the year, repeated less than 24 hours after the group performed it at El Catllar.

Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona completed the 3d9f, 2d9fm and 4d9f. Its 2d9fm was the Tarragona group's sixth completed example of that construction during the season.

The host group, Minyons de l'Arboç, completed the traditional set of seven-level towers: the 3d7, 4d7 and 2d6. Its 4d7 was the group's first completed tower of that type this season.

Reported by Marina Pérez Got, Judit Benages, El Periódico, vilaweb.cat, revistacastells.cat, Josep Mª Soler, lesvegueries.cat, lavanguardia.com, diarimes.com, Aitana Molina, Joan Antoni Guerrero Vall, elvallenc-v1.srv-n2-01.tirabol.cat, Twitter, Infocamp.