Picture it: 5 January, the Christmas lights still glowing over Madrid, and half the city lined up along the Paseo de la Castellana holding umbrellas upside down. Kids ride on shoulders, grandparents perch on folding stools, and a boy near the front waves a cardboard sign that says "Balthazar, I've been good". Then the music starts, the first float glides into view, and a shower of sweets rains down on the crowd. This is the Cabalgata de Reyes, Madrid's Three Kings parade, and it's the biggest night of Christmas in Spain.
Spanish children don't wait for Santa. Their presents come from the Three Wise Men, who arrive overnight on January 6th, the feast of Epiphany, and the parade is their grand entrance into the city. This is how to see the 2027 procession like a local, including the bits the city hasn't announced yet (those are marked to be confirmed).
When is the Three Kings parade in Madrid in 2027?
The wise men parade in Madrid always takes place on the evening of 5 January, the night before Three Kings Day. In 2027 that's a Tuesday. The exact start time is still to be confirmed: Madrid's tourism office currently lists 18:30 to 21:00, but the city hasn't published the final programme yet, and the 2026 parade set off at 18:00.
It's free and there's nothing to book. Rain won't stop it either. The 2025 cabalgata went ahead in a steady drizzle, and the crowds simply swapped their umbrellas for pool nets.
| 2027 | 2026 (for reference) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday 5 January | Monday 5 January |
| Start time | To be confirmed | 18:00 |
| Kings' speech at Cibeles | To be confirmed | Shortly before 21:00, then fireworks |
| Theme | To be confirmed | El saber compartido (Shared Knowledge) |
| Floats and cast | To be confirmed | 15 floats, about 2,100 performers, 250+ royal pages |
| Free grandstand seats | To be confirmed | 8,000+ between Emilio Castelar and Colón, 2,200 at Cibeles |
The route: from San Juan de la Cruz to Plaza de Cibeles
The 2027 route is to be confirmed, but the procession has followed the same line down the Paseo de la Castellana for years. It sets off from Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz, by Nuevos Ministerios, and rolls south through Plaza del Doctor Gregorio Marañón and the Glorieta de Emilio Castelar. From there it passes Plaza de Colón, continues along the Paseo de Recoletos and ends at Plaza de Cibeles, in front of the city hall.
The whole avenue closes to traffic from the afternoon, so forget taxis and take the metro.
| Section of the route | Nearest metro |
|---|---|
| Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz (start) | Nuevos Ministerios (L6, L8, L10) |
| Plaza del Doctor Gregorio Marañón | Gregorio Marañón (L7, L10) |
| Glorieta de Emilio Castelar | Rubén Darío (L5) |
| Plaza de Colón | Colón (L4) |
| Plaza de Cibeles (finish) | Banco de España (L2) |
Where to watch the Three Wise Men parade
Upper Castellana, for families with small kids
Near San Juan de la Cruz the pavements are wide and the crowd is thinner. The parade reaches this stretch first, so little ones see the floats early and still make it to bed at a reasonable hour (which matters, because the Kings won't come until they're asleep).
Emilio Castelar to Colón, if you want a seat
This is where the city sets up its free grandstands. Seats go on a first come, first served basis: in 2026 people could claim them from 16:00. The 2027 seating plan is to be confirmed.
Plaza de Cibeles, for the grand finale
Cibeles is where Their Majesties Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar deliver their message to the city, followed by a firework show set to music. It's the best show on the route and the most packed, so locals stake out their place two or three hours early. In 2026 the wait was filled with a pre-show featuring performers from the Teatro Circo Price and the magician Jorge Blass.
Wheelchair users had five signposted viewing areas in 2026 (San Juan de la Cruz, Doctor Marañón, Emilio Castelar, Colón and Cibeles), all on the right-hand side in the direction of the procession and open to two companions each. The 2027 arrangement is to be confirmed.
Local tip
Do what madrileños do and bring an umbrella to hold upside down. It turns into a sweet catcher the moment the pages start throwing. Some families go further with beach or pool nets, though in 2025 police asked people to put away the longest ones.
Pick one spot and stay there. The floats move slowly, and trying to chase the day parade down the Castellana just means watching it from the back of every crowd. And skip the very front row if you're not a fan of caramels bouncing off your forehead.
A parade that started with a newspaper appeal
Madrid's first official cabalgata took place in 1928, and it was a charity drive. The newspaper Heraldo de Madrid organised it to bring toys and warm clothes to the city's poorest children, at the La Inclusa hospital and the San José asylum. Clowns from the Circo Price escorted the Kings and kept an eye on the gifts, and readers chipped in 2,580.90 pesetas to keep the help going.
The tradition of the three kings parading through town is older than that. Alcoy, near Alicante, has held its cavalcade since the 19th century and is usually called the oldest in Spain. Madrid's version grew into a show that fills the whole Castellana, and there's something lovely about the circus still being part of it nearly a century later.
Legend
The story goes that three kings followed a star to Bethlehem, but the Bible is much vaguer. The Gospel of Matthew mentions only "magi from the East" (each one a magus, a kind of astrologer-priest) bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh. It never says there were three, or that they were kings.
Tradition filled the gaps. Three gifts became three visitors, and later centuries gave them names, crowns, and even their own camels.
How Spain celebrates Three Kings Day
Back home after the parade, children leave their shoes by the door or window, along with a snack for the Kings and a bowl of water for the camels. By morning the shoes are surrounded by presents. Anyone who misbehaved gets a lump of coal, which luckily is made of sugar.
January 6th itself is a slow, family day. The star is the roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread topped with candied fruit and hiding a small figurine and a dried bean. Find the figurine and you wear the paper crown; find the bean and tradition says you pay for next year's roscón. Bakeries have queues out the door on 5 January, so buy yours early.
Tips for enjoying the cabalgata de Reyes
- Dress warmly. Madrid evenings in early January can drop close to freezing, and you'll be standing still for hours. - Bring a bag for the sweets, a snack, and a folding stool if you're arriving early. Leave big backpacks at the hotel. - After the fireworks, the metro stations around Cibeles and Colón are rammed. Walk a few blocks before heading underground. - Can't face the crowds? Several Madrid districts hold smaller neighbourhood parades in the days before 5 January (2027 dates to be confirmed), and the main procession is shown live on Spanish TV.
Wherever you end up standing, wait for the Kings' floats. The avenue erupts, kids shriek their favourite King's name, and I've yet to see a grown-up who didn't grin.
Frequently asked questions
What date is the 3 Kings parade in Spain?
Almost every town and city in Spain holds its parade on the evening of 5 January, the eve of Three Kings Day. A few smaller places move theirs a day earlier when the date clashes with a weekend or bad weather.
Is 3 Kings Day a Catholic thing?
It comes from the Christian feast of the Epiphany, which marks the visit of the magi to the baby Jesus. Today it's also a family celebration that almost everyone in Spain joins in, religious or not, and you'll see nativity scenes in churches and shop windows all through the season.
Are shops open in Madrid on January 6th?
January 6th is a national holiday, so most shops, banks and offices are closed. Most bars and restaurants stay open, and some big museums run shorter hours (the Prado, for one, opens only from 10:00 to 14:00). Shops reopen on the 7th, right in the middle of the January sales.
Is there a Three Kings parade in Barcelona too?
Yes. Barcelona holds its own cabalgata on the same evening, and the Kings famously arrive by boat at the port before parading through the city.
