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Amazing photos of Catalonia's 'human tower' contest

Fiona Govan
Fiona Govan - [email protected]
Amazing photos of Catalonia's 'human tower' contest
Thousands attended the human tower competition

The first Saturday in October saw the biennial “Concurs de Castells” in Tarragona, where 32 teams competed to build the highest human tower.

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The teams include up to 500 members who climb atop each other to form up a human pyramid of up to ten tiers. At the pinnacle is a child, often as young as five years old who wear foam helmets to protect them from injury.

This year saw a the first entry by a foreign team.  "Els Xiquets de Hangzhou", from China who came in second place.

The top prize was taken by a team from Vilafranca which triumphed for the eighth consecutive time.

Watch a video of the winning tower here:

The tradition dates back to the 18th century in the Catalonia region and is believed to originate from the human towers built by dance groups.

It has been declared a valued example of intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco.

Incredible aerial shots show the riot of colour on display at the contest.

GALLERY: Click through the stunning photos of the event

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