News
The Three Kings arrive in Barcelona making reference to the Tour de France and the Grand Départ 2026
The Three Kings Parade 2925 combined tradition and innovation with a float devoted to children’s dreams, making reference for the first time to the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2026, projecting the city towards the future.
Barcelona experienced one of the most iconic events on the city’s festive calendar again on 5 January. Thousands of families packed pavements, avenues and squares to follow the Three Kings Parade in an edition shaped by artistic innovation, visual power and a message projecting the city towards the future.
Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar followed their traditional route with the participation of more than 1,300 people, headed by the pages Gregori, Estel and Omar, along with messengers who shared more than six thousand tonnes of sweets all around the route.
One of the main new features of this year’s parade was a float inspired by children’s dreams, symbolically reflecting the collective dream of the Grand Départ for the Tour de France 2026. Under the slogan “Barcelona and the Tour, a fine tandem” this was the first time the parade made a direct reference to a city event.
The float, part of the entourage for King Gaspar and conceived by the stage designer Ramón de los Heros, featured circus as a new artistic discipline, with giant beds, acrobatics and a dreamlike atmosphere inviting children to delve into a world of rest and imagination. In this dreamlike setting, a bike choreography symbolised the connection between Barcelona and the Tour de France, accompanied by new music composed by Bernardo Roja, created specifically for this scene.
The bicycle also had a central role in the float for the Royal Post. The messengers had five new bicycles and mailboxes, designed by the city artists and craft professionals Carles Berga and Jordi Sala. The new structure was designed to be directed by two people, one at the front and one at the back at different levels, and featured four wheels, lights and a letterbox created by José Menchero.
The parade thus connected the magic of Twelfth Night with one of the great sports events of 2026, conveying the message to thousands of Barcelona residents and visitors.
Among lights, music, sweets and bicycles, Barcelona completed one of the most eagerly awaited nights of the year looking forward: true to tradition, but with its capacity intact for reinventing it and turning it into a shared collective dream.