Barcelona Christmas parade 2025

Barcelona Cavalcada de Reis 2025 - Map parade route below




At 4.30 pm on 5 January 2025, their Majesties Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar arrive at the Portal de la Pau on the Santa Eulàlia sailing ship, which is the maritime museum's schooner (called a 'pailebot.') The Barcelona mayor bids the Kings welcome with bread and salt as a symbol of hospitality and welcome, and the Kings are presented with the key that opens all the Barcelona city doors, so that the kings can deliver all the Christmas gifts during the night of 5th January.. This event is not open to the general public but is broadcast on the Barcelona city's Youtube channel

Parade date: 5th January 2025

Parade start at: Av. Marques de l'Argentera at park Parc de la Ciutadella. The 2025 Barcelona 3 Kings Christmas parade starts at 6.00 pm from Av. Marquès de l’Argentera (with Pg. Circumval·lació) and finishes at the Font Màgica de Montjuïc, The route goes along Passeig de Colom all the way to Av. Paral·lel and then up Ronda de Sant Pau and C. Urgell, before turning onto C. Sepúlveda, and ends at the Magic Fountain just after 9 pm

Parade start time: 18:00 - 21:30 (6 pm to 9.30 pm)

Parade map route: MAP ROUTE

Estimated times: 
6:00 p.m.: Av. Marquis de l'Argentera
6:15 p.m.: Pg. Colom
7:10 p.m.: Av. Parallel
7:30 p.m.: Ronda Sant Pau
7:45 p.m.: Sant Antoni Market
8:30 p.m.: Carrer de Sepulveda
8:45 p.m.: Pl. Espanya
9:15 p.m.: Av. Reina Maria Christina

2025 Barcelona Kings procession route map

Cavalcada de Reis Barcelona Kings map

FULLSCREEN map Three Kings parade




Information:
¡Felices Reyes! Three Kings Barcelona parade 5th January 2025. Kings parade route and map. The Three Kings parade on 5th January is Barcelona's Christmas parade on the eve of the 12th day of Christmas. The 'Three Kings’ Parade' is also known as the 'Twelfth Night procession. In the Spanish language it is called 'la Cabalgata de Reyes Magos'

In Catalan language it is called 'la Cavalcada de Reis Mags d'Orient'. The 12th day is also called Epiphany, which is on January 6th - twelve days after Christmas. Ephiphany is the end of the Christmas festive season in Spain and Barcelona where Christmas is celebrated for the 12 days from Christmas Eve on December 24th, until the Epiphany on 6th January. The 2025 parade will consist of spectacular floats with special dances and all throwing sweets to the public under the guidance of the Royal page boy Omar.

Hola, Barcelona: the Brincadeira Company will be welcoming the Three Kings and leading the way for the whole of the procession, accompanied by Gata perduda, from the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Royal Couriers: the dancers from the Luthiers school will be in charge of collecting the letters, accompanied by Gregori, the city’s page boy.

Estel’s Float: Page girl Estel and her entourage of magical stars will be accompanied by the Brodas Bros and the Luminolifes - big starry beings.

King Melchior: King Melchior's new float and his magical entourage will have luminous wings and will be accompanied by dancers

The Toys: who’ll be riding on a new float full of energy, movement, colour and light

King Gaspar: accompanied by his magical entourage, the blonde king will be showing off his new float

Instructions for dreaming: a new float in the shape of a magic bed with sheets made from the sails of a ship as a reminder of how important it is to go to bed on time

King Balthazar: the royal welcome will be brought to a close by King Balthazar and his entourage’s brand new float

The coal: the float representing a mine with coal, fire, smoke and miners will be accompanied by the Kampai & La Banda Street Groove Company, and will be absolutely spectacular.

Some spaces are reserved for people with reduced mobility at Plaça d’Antonio López and at Plaça d’Espanya junction with Avinguda del Paral·lel. Many people bring a step ladder to better see the parade.

About Three Kings - Reyes traditions

The Three Kings of the Orient, are called Balthasar, Gaspar and Melchior in Spanish and in Catalan they are called Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar. The Twelfth Night, also called Ephiphany, celebrates the visit to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem by the Three Kings, (also called the Magi, or the Three Wise Men) and is a Christian celebration that dates back to the 4th century. The word 'Epiphany' comes from Greek and means 'manifestation'. The Epiphany, or Twelfth night, signifies the manifestation of Christ to humans who were represented in the form of the Three Kings. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three kings followed a star across the desert which led them to the baby Jesus.

According to the gospel of Matthew they gave Jesus symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gold represented his royal standing; frankincense his divine birth; and myrrh his mortality. On their return journey they handed out gifts to children. In Spain children write to the Three Kings, rather than Santa Claus. The Kings bring the children their presents on 6th January. The Kings' Day Parade is the biggest parade in Barcelona and takes place on 5th January every year on the evening before Twelfth Night on the 6th January.

Children can deliver their gift wish lists to the Kings by post or by handing them to one of the eighty Kings' pages and messengers in the parade, the most famous of which are called Page Estel and Page Gregori. The Kings pages are also all over the city in the Christmas period. In Barcelona can find them on Plaza Catalunya, at the Barcelona City Hall, at the Three Kings' postbox in the courtyard of the Palau de la Virreina, on ‘Santa Eulàlia’ schooner at Moll de la Fusta dock in Port Vell marina and at many shopping malls.

Children are also welcome to visit the Kings of Orients’ toy factory at the Fàbrica de Creació Fabra i Coats (from end December - 4th January 2022) in the Sant Andreu district of Barcelona. The Fabra i Coats factory opens its doors for Christmas, so that visitors can see the toy warehouse where toys are made and stored before being delivered by the Three Kings on the night of 5th January. After the Kings' parade on the 5th January the next day 6th January is a public holiday in Spain. The 6th is the biggest Christmas gift giving day in Barcelona and Spain and the day that the children open their presents.

'Tortell de Reis' 

The Spanish Kings Cake is a sweet dessert bread called 'Tortells de Reis' in Catalan and 'Roscón de Reyes' in Spanish. This traditional Spanish Christmas treat celebrates epiphany and the journey of the Three Kings, also known as the Magi or Wise Men, to the town of Bethlehem, where they sought the newborn King of the Jews - Jesus. The cake eaten the night before, or on King's Day. Roscón de Reyes cakes are available at all bakeries and supermarkets. It is a ring-shaped pastry, resembling a crown made of brioche pastry and normally filled with marzipan, custard, cream, or whipped cream, depending on personal preferences.

The cake is decorated with candied fruits, which symbolize the jewels of the kings' crowns, nuts (usually pine nuts and sliced almonds), and sprinkled with icing sugar. It usually has a golden crown in the middle. As a surprise for the diners, there is a hidden toy or trinket (usually one of the Three Kings) and a fava broad bean inside the cake. The person who finds the toy, is crowned King or Queen of the feast - and the person who gets the fava bean has to buy the Tortell de Reis cake next year.

About the Kings Parade

There are usually around 18 local Christmas Kings parades in different districts of Barcelona on 5th January. An estimated 500,000 people go to see the biggest parade in Barcelona - the 'Cabalgata de Reyes Magos'. This is a three hour parade with a convoy of around 12 parade floats - called carrozas - which stretches almost one kilometre in total along a 5km route through the center of Barcelona also passing by Plaza Catalunya. 

The Barcelona kings parade is a spectacular show designed and performed by professional artists from the world of theatre, music, dance and circus with volunteers, which are mostly students from 29 different arts schools in Barcelona but also just volunteers from local families. Leading the parade are 'Els llancers de la Guàrdia Reial' The Royal Guard Lancers on horseback. In total there are about 1300 costumed participants, 12 big floats and around 26 dance retinues called comparsas. Each float has a theme and the themes change every year.

Around 7 tons of gluten free caramels are thrown from the floats during the parade. Small children can give the Kings pages their Christmas letters and also hand in their pacifiers or dummies - called xumets in Catalan - to the Kings' Xumeters - the dummie collectors.
 
Don't forgot to buy a Kings Cake - a sweet dessert bread called 'Tortells de Reis' in Catalan - 'Roscón de Reyes' in Spanish, which is eaten the night before or on King's Day. You can get them at all bakeries and supermarkets in Barcelona.

¡Felices Reyes! Bones Festes!

Pictures Three Kings procession
Barcelona Three Kings website
Guide Barcelona Christmas
Barcelona NewYear Eve

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© Copyright Barcelonayellow.com
Do not copy from this page without permission
All rights reserved.