The calçot
eating contest.

A competition with its own history

The Gran Festa de la Calçotada began in 1982. The eating contest's winners' archive starts in 1986, with Jordi Horra from Reus. These are separate timelines: the festival's edition number does not match the contest's. In 2026, the 44th festival hosted the 40th eating contest.

The Cultura i Paisatge feature on the festival's first 25 years records names such as Jordi Ferré Oller, Josep Ferré Blasco, Josep Garcia Milan and Ramon Forès Sans. It preserves a history from before the most widely publicised champions.

Documentation: Cultura i Paisatge: 25 years of the Gran Festa and ranking of the 1986–2006 contest (PDF, pp. 88–100) · Gran Festa: past results and rules of the Calçot-Eating Contest

45 minutes and a rule that changes the champion

The 2026 rules set a 45-minute contest, open to adults aged over 18, with a maximum of 20 competitors. Gloves were not allowed. The winner could not enter the following year, which explains why some champions sit out a season.

The organisers expressly advise against training at home. We document the contest as a festival event and part of local heritage; the records are competition results, not portions to copy at a meal.

Documentation: Gran Festa: past results and rules of the Calçot-Eating Contest

Why the weight wins and not the number of calçots

The result is calculated by the net weight consumed: the remains are deducted from the initial weight. The pieces describe the performance, but do not alone decide the order. A headline that says "ate more calçots" also needs to specify the grams.

The 2025 podium offers a very clear example. Ramon Caballero came second with 160 units and 2,170 grams; David Martín was third with 190 units and 2,165 grams. Thirty more pieces did not compensate for five fewer grams. It's a small difference that better explains how the contest works than any speed comparison.

Documentation: Cultura i Paisatge: 25 years of the Gran Festa and ranking of the 1986–2006 contest (PDF, pp. 88–100) · Valls Chamber of Commerce: results for 2025

Adrià Wegrzyn's record in 2018

On 28 January 2018, Adrià Wegrzyn starred in one of the most memorable days of the contest. The report from the Valls Town Council highlighted his victory and the presence of his father in second place. The record maintained by the organisation is 310 calçots and 5,825 grams; It is still marked as a record in the list of winners consulted in October 2026.

It is advisable to keep both units when telling that story. Saying only "310 calçots" leaves out the data that gave the record. It is also worth talking about the record of the Valls contest: the reviewed sources do not allow it to be presented as a Guinness title.

Documentation: Valls Town Council: chronicle of the Great Festival of 2018 · Gran Festa: past results and rules of the Calçot-Eating Contest

Diana Andrade and the first female podium

In 2019, Carlos Fontecha's victory shared the spotlight with another milestone. TAC12 reported that Diana Andrade became the first woman to finish on the contest podium. Her third place adds to the history beyond the list of winners.

Remembering those who occupied second and third position allows us to tell a more complete story. In a competition that is often summed up in a single number and a photograph of the winner, the podiums reveal participants, backgrounds and moments that are otherwise hidden.

Documentation: TAC12: Carlos Fontecha wins and Diana Andrade reaches the first women's podium, 28 January 2019

The 2021 break and the return with David Martín

The 2021 festival was suspended due to the pandemic. In 2022, the return to the streets had David Martín from Tarragona as the winner of the contest, with 192 calçots and 2,700 grams. Carlos Fontecha and Alexander Staab completed the podium.

The organisation thanked the volunteers for their work on that return. The previous year without a winner is a documented interruption, not a lost data point.

Documentation: Gran Festa: official report of the return of 2022

From Antonio Hernández to Xavier Currius

Antonio Hernández Garcia won in 2024 with 240 units and 3,060 grams. The Cambra chronicle preserved that result along with the other competitions of a festival that also recognised the cultivation and production of sauce.

In 2026, Xavier Currius of Santa Eugènia de Berga added a new name to the winners' list. El 9 Nou reported his victory with 109 calçots and 3,970 grams. That is almost four kilos, showing why fewer calçots can still produce a greater total weight.

Documentation: Valls Chamber of Commerce: report of the Gran Festa 2024 · El 9 Nou: Xavier Currius, from Santa Eugènia de Berga, wins the contest, 1 February 2026

How to follow it within the Gran Festa

The 2026 programme placed the contest at 1:00 p.m. in Plaça del Pati. This reference belongs to a specific edition: to prepare a visit you must review the programme of the chosen year. The annual archive on this website separates the historical schedules from the information on the next celebration.

The contest fits into a day with cooking demonstrations, growers, sauce and public tasting. Before or after approaching the square you can follow the rest of the activities or make a reservation at a calçotada restaurant. Getting to know the product, trying the sauce and exploring Valls are also part of the experience.

Documentation: Gran Festa: official programme for 2026

A record of winners to explore and compare

The archive lists the year, winner, number of calçots and weight in separate fields. When a source does not give a weight, the field is left blank rather than set to zero. Editions with conflicting winner attributions are marked as awaiting verification.

This format makes it possible to add future editions and answer who won, what result they achieved and which document supports it. Both the milestones and the gaps in the historical record remain visible.

The names behind each year.

Consult the documented results. Units and weight are two different measurements; rows with discrepancies are expressly identified.

Slide the table to see all columns ↔

No results. Try another name or year.

A dash indicates that the data is not confirmed in the sources used. The absence of a figure does not equal zero. The archive was reviewed on 22 October 2026.

The contest stories

Frequently asked questions