The Valls Chamber of Commerce, organizer of the 44th edition of the festival, has diversified the program to appeal to new profiles through this typical Catalan dish. New features include the Calçofest festival, held in November, and the new mobile application Calçoapp, which centralizes information on producers, restaurants, and cooked calçot vendors throughout Catalonia.
“"We want all kinds of people; the calçotada is a family affair, but if we rejuvenate it a bit, much better."
In addition to the 4,000 tastings and cooking demonstrations, the festival attracts an international audience, such as the Polish tourist Joanna Lewandowska, who visited Valls to witness the traditional process. Producers of the IGP Calçot de Valls also use social media to connect with new generations, although generational replacement remains a historical challenge for the agricultural sector.
The highlight was the 40th Calçot Eating Contest, which filled the Plaça de l'Oli. This year's winner was Xavier Currius, from Santa Eulàlia de Berga, who managed to eat 109 calçots, equivalent to 3.97 kilograms, in just forty-five minutes. This was his second participation, and he admitted that the absence of the historic winner was an incentive for his victory.
