Cavalcada de Reis 2014 – Three Kings Parade

Each year on the fifth of January, the arrival of the Three Kings is celebrated in Spain. The parade is a big happening for kids, but also fun for everyone else: it’s a spectacular carnival with dancers, music,  floats, gigantic animal figures, lights, costumes, stars, enormous balloons, glitters and candy thrown around everywhere. It was quite a party!

It’s not in December, but on the 6^th of January that kids receive their Christmas presents in Spain (brought by the Three Kings, not Santa Claus). Traditionally, they eat a special cake (Tortell de Reis in Catalan) with a hidden surprise inside. The night before, on the fifth is the Night of the Three Kings. Some neighborhoods have their own local parades (there was also a small one in our street), but there’s a big three hour parade going through Barcelona, ending at the Font Màgica at Montjuïc. We were standing on a perfect location, with Plaça Espanya on the left and the Magic Fountain on the right. This resulted in some pretty awesome images!