CLICapp: A co-created tool for climate adaptation and safety in human tower exhibitions

Climate change poses increasing challenges to outdoor cultural events, including human towers (castells) festivals, which demand favourable weather conditions. Human towers, recognised by UNESCO in 2010 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, rely on safe and comfortable conditions for participants and audiences alike. Building on a project developed in 2024, this communication wants to present the development of a climate-smart decision-making tool to enhance the management of casteller exhibitions under evolving climatic conditions. The prototype tool named Castells, Llindars i Informació Climàtica- CLICapp (Human Towers, Thresholds and Climate Information) aims to transform climate data into valuable information for decision-makers to manage the human tower exhibitions better, especially in summer (due to extreme temperatures and high humidity values) but not only.

The project’s groundwork is the study of temperature trends from 1951 to 2023 during the central hours of the day (12–15h) at four significant festivals (Sant Joan in Valls, Festa Major of La Bisbal del Penedès, Sant Magí in Tarragona, and Sant Fèlix in Vilafranca del Penedès). Results highlighted rising thermal stress, with Heat Index values underscoring the growing discomfort for Castellers (Olano et al., 2024). Then, participatory workshops based on the co-creation methodology for climate services (Font et al., 2021) were held with 109 castellers from 10 teams (colles castelleres), offering qualitative and quantitative insights into their perceptions of favourable and adverse weather for castells. These workshops also generated adaptation proposals prioritised by feasibility and importance (Saladié et al., 2025).

This communication will outline the two new steps undertaken in this project: the introduction of real-time measurements using temperature and humidity sensors in 11 urban squares during the summer season, which provided empirical data on thermal conditions of the exhibitions, and the initial insights into transforming all this data in useful information (climate raw data and co-creation insights) into an app. This app prototype aims to convert climate data and the information collected from the squares and participant groups into understandable and actionable insights for decision-makers—whether they are the Castellers, organisers (i.e. City Hall), other stakeholders (medical services, businesses, police, civil defence), or the public. The developing tool wants to integrate near real-time weather forecasts to identify potential risks for specific festival dates and times. Combining these insights with adaptive strategies proposed in the co-creation workshops provides a robust framework for pre-event planning. The advanced monitoring capabilities will allow organisers to receive near real-time updates on key parameters such as temperature, humidity, Heat Index, or co-created indices based on the information gathered during the workshops.

This project advances the adaptive management of outdoor cultural events by ensuring casteller festivals remain safe and sustainable amid climate change while preserving their cultural essence, safeguarding heritage, promoting climate innovation, and prioritising the well-being of participants. This initiative provides a replicable model for other cultural manifestations facing similar climate challenges worldwide. Incorporating climate services into intangible cultural event management combines scientific research and innovation with cultural preservation to protect the identity, ensure the sustainability of traditions under climate stress, and safeguard human health.