Rescheduling Summer Human Tower Exhibitions? Thermal Comfort Increases in the Evening

Anna Boqué-Ciurana (), Jon Xavier Olano Pozo, Júlia Sevil and Òscar Saladié
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Anna Boqué-Ciurana: Institut Universitari de Recerca en Sostenibilitat, Canvi Climàtic i Transició Energètica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 15 Joanot Martorell, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain
Jon Xavier Olano Pozo: Institut Universitari de Recerca en Sostenibilitat, Canvi Climàtic i Transició Energètica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 15 Joanot Martorell, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain
Júlia Sevil: Faculty of Tourism and Geography, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 15 Joanot Martorell, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain
Òscar Saladié: Institut Universitari de Recerca en Sostenibilitat, Canvi Climàtic i Transició Energètica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 15 Joanot Martorell, 43480 Vila-seca, Spain

Geographies, 2025, vol. 5, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Outdoor activities are significantly influenced by meteorological conditions. Human tower exhibitions are performed in urban squares. Human towers were recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010. The objectives of this study are (1) to analyse the long-term temperature trend (1951–2024) for four summer human tower exhibitions; (2) to determine to extent to which thermal comfort has worsened over the last 74 years based on the Heat Index (HI); and (3) to assess temperature and thermal comfort in the squares during the selected evening exhibitions. Two of the four human tower exhibitions were recently rescheduled to the evening in response to afternoon heat. Temperatures have increased both in the afternoon and in the evening over the last 74-year period, but the warming is more pronounced in the afternoon. Evening hours have also become warmer, although they still represent a more tolerable thermal condition for outdoor activities. However, thermal comfort has decreased in three of the four human tower exhibitions in recent years. Two sensors recorded relative humidity and temperature data to determine the meteorological conditions during the exhibitions in the squares. The temperature decreased as the exhibition progressed. This pattern was modified by factors such as the presence of clouds and the shade generated by the buildings. HI values above 32 °C (extreme caution threshold) were prevalent in one exhibition. In the other three exhibitions, the values remained within the caution threshold for the majority of the time. Rescheduling the exhibition is one adaptation measure to ensure that human towers are performed safely in the face of climate change.

Keywords: temperature trend; thermal comfort; heat index; intangible cultural heritage; castells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q15 Q5 Q53 Q54 Q56 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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