Calçotada de Valls Festival 2022: the return to the squares

The 2022 edition

• Date: 23 Jan 2022
• Location: Valls (Tarragona)
• Edition: 40th Gran Festa de la Calçotada

Why was it celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of January

The official call set January 23 to separate the Great Festival from the Decennals, scheduled from January 28 to February 6. That is why it is not advisable to automatically reconstruct old dates by applying the rule of the last Sunday of the month: the local calendar introduced an express exception.

The 2022 edition occupies its own place in the archive. The public meeting was restored after a year without a festival and, at the same time, it was part of some especially intense weeks for Valls. The proximity of the Decennals is part of their context, but both events maintained their identity and programming.

Documentation: Organisation: the 2022 festival is brought forward to January 23

The return maintained some limitations

The chronicles of the day place the influx at around 20,000 people. Reusdigital explained that the health adaptation reduced tastings and participation in the calçots eating contest. The test finally had ten participants, a figure also included in the La Vanguardia chronicle.

La Vanguardia described the atmosphere in El Pati, mask-wearing outside eating times and the Xiquets de Valls' four-person human towers. These details document 2022; they are not instructions for a current visit. They show how the festival returned under the conditions of that time.

Documentation: Reusdigital: David Martín wins the Valls contest with 192 calçots · La Vanguardia: Pitet, calçots and mask

David Martín wins the calçot-eating contest

David Martín Martínez, from Tarragona, won with 192 calçots and 2,700 grams. Carlos Fontecha, from Rubí, was second with 212 and 2,285 grams; Alexander Staab, from Calafell, finished third with 168 and 2,250 grams. The official results show that the classification did not depend solely on the number of pieces ingested.

The organisation's report also records the cultivation and sauce awards: Francesc Xavier Amill won the first and Francesc Invernon the second. About 1,500 tastings were distributed and the organisation estimated the cooked calçots at approximately 25,000. The recognition of the volunteers accompanied the report of an edition that had required adapting its operation.

Documentation: Organisation: report and results of Calçotada 2022

The calçotada also reached the stamps

On 14 January 2022, Correos issued a stamp dedicated to calçotada within its gastronomic tourism series. The philatelic record documents a circulation of 2,800,000 copies and a postal value of 1.65 euros at the time of issue. It is a material souvenir of that year that may interest both those who follow the festival and collectors.

The stamp depicted calçots being cooked. Beyond the contest and Sunday meal, it records how the tradition was promoted through food imagery. The stamp belongs to 2022 and is not a tasting ticket or a promotional offer.

Documentation: Correos: Gastronomic tourism stamp. Calçotada

Programme documentation

This page brings together the report and the details we have been able to verify. It does not reproduce a complete programme or suggest times for the next festival.

Explore more of the festival

Learn about the calçots eating contest and check its record →

Check the next edition of 2027 and discover the calçotada restaurants from Valls and Alt Camp.

Return to archive of all editions →