For one day only, Madrid will be filled with calçots, grilled meat, and music at the first Calçotada Popular de Vallecas. It will take place on Saturday, February 21, and is organized by the Colla Castellera de Madrid, an association dedicated to the Catalan tradition of building human towers in the air: the famous castells.
The event will begin at 12:00 noon in the Jardín del Bulevar de Peña Gorbea, in the Vallecas district, with a castells performance. You can get there by metro using line 1, with Nueva Numancia being the closest stop.
Throughout the day, you can try the famous calçots, drink beer , and enjoy different live performances, with participants from the neighborhood filling the atmosphere with a festive spirit.
Calçots, grilled meats, and vegetarian options
Grilled calçots. | Editorial credit: Pixabay
Lunchwill be served from 2:00 p.m. , with meat, vegetarian , and even children’s options available. For only €15, the menu includes 15 calçots with sauce, sausage, bacon, ribs, and vegetables. And, of course, there will also be draft beer to accompany the meal.
For the little ones, the option is similar but with a smaller quantity: 8 calçots, sauce, sausage, and vegetables for €8. In all cases, tickets must be reserved in advance on the website.
The sound of castells
Castells and grallas music. | Editorial credit: Colla Castellera de Madrid
In keeping with Catalan traditions, the Calçotada Popular de Vallecas will feature performances by gralles and timbals, the musical instruments that usually accompany castells, also performed by the Colla Castellera de Madrid.
The sweet sound of the gralla, a wooden double-reed pipe, combines with thepercussion and rhythm of the timbals to create the perfect soundtrack for the event.
Charanga and batucada from the neighborhood
Live performances. | Editorial credit: Batucada Samba tu Arte
On the other hand, the spirit of the Vallecas neighborhood will be very present throughthe charanga of Palomeras Bajas, which emerged as part of the Palomeras Bajas school’s AMPA (Parents’ Association) and is currently part of the Contrapunto Cultural Association, made up of neighbors and friends from the area.
And to round off the live performances, the batucada Samba tu Arte will also be taking part, combining styles such as Brazilian samba reggae, Cuban rumba and funk, which originated during the musical boom in the United States.
All in all, the first Calçotada Popular de Vallecas is a great opportunity to learn about the tradition of castells, sample a range of dishes featuring calçots , and dance to the rhythm of local brass bands and batucadas.