The Three Kings Day celebration is held throughout Mallorca with parades on January 5th. This festivity is somewhat reminiscent of a carnival.
Do you believe Palma de Mallorca is an incredible place to spend New Year’s Eve? It sure is! Do you think the fireworks display at the port and the party at the Town Hall square are unbeatable? Not quite! Instead of leaving right after New Year’s, the insiders stick around at least until the Three Kings Day celebration.
Colorful floats parade with hundreds of costumed participants and music through the streets, throwing candy to the crowd. The largest parade travels through the streets of Palma at dusk, starting at Moll Vell, where the Kings arrive by boat. It then continues through places such as Plaça Rei Joan Carles I, Passeig Mallorca, and up to Plaça de la Vila.
Anyone who has seen the Three Kings’ Parade in Palma knows that the islanders celebrate New Year’s Eve merely as a warm-up. The “Three Kings’ Parade” is like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and carnival all rolled into one day.
About 200,000 people participate in the celebration, and many streets are closed. The event begins with an impressive fireworks display at the harbor, where the “Three Wise Men” are welcomed. Each year, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar arrive at sunset on January 5th by boat, disembarking near the Lonja.
There, the trio rides on camels and parades, accompanied by about 20 fancifully decorated floats, as well as walking groups and marching bands through the center of Palma, passing, among other places, through Plaça Cort. The “Parade” always has a different theme; in 2005, for example, huge luminous dragons made of wire and colored paper adorned the floats.
For the little spectators, tons of candy are thrown. The colorful festivity is somewhat reminiscent of our carnival parades. But the magical atmosphere is unique!
For Mallorcan children, the real celebration begins after the parade, as the long-awaited Christmas presents await them at home. In Spain, it is not Baby Jesus who brings the gifts, but the Three Wise Men.
In their honor, a cake decorated with candied fruits, the so-called “Roscón de Reyes,” is also eaten. Whoever finds the hidden coin, figurine, or bean in the roscón can wear a king’s crown for a day. Naturally, the “Roscón de Reyes” can also be purchased at bakeries and some supermarkets, and it often includes a golden paper crown.
Other important parades go through the following streets:
Alcúdia (the parade starts at 6:15 PM at the church by the harbor)
Andratx (starts at 6:00 PM, with gift distribution to the children at 7:00 PM at the Castell de Son Mas)
- Artà (starts at 18:30 at the port)
- Campanet (starts at 18:00)
- Capdepera/ Cala Ratjada (the arrival of the Kings is at 18:15 at the port)
- Felanitx (starts at 20:00 until the Plaça de Santa Margalida)
- Manacor (the parade arrives at 18:20, followed by the distribution of gifts to children at the Plaça del Rector Rubí)
- Portocolom (the parade starts at 18:30)
- Sóller (the arrival of the Kings is at 15:30 at the port)
