In Spain the presents come on the night of 5 January, and in Granada the Three Kings arrive a few hours earlier on a float. The parade, the Cabalgata de Reyes, crosses the city from the Triunfo gardens to the river Genil, and children line Gran Vía with bags ready for the sweets: up to 15,000 kilos of them in the 2026 plan.
The Cabalgata de Reyes de Granada is the city council’s evening parade of floats on 5 January, ending the Christmas season the night before the Epiphany holiday. For 2027 it falls on Tuesday 5 January, and the Ayuntamiento sets the start time and route in December. Watching is free, there is nothing to book, and the best time to arrive at the start is before 17:00.
When is the Three Kings parade in Granada? Every 5 January in the late afternoon; in 2027 that is a Tuesday. The planned 2026 parade left Avenida de la Constitución, beside the Triunfo gardens, at 17:00 with 25 floats and finished with drones at Puente Blanco around 19:30. Rain moved it that year to 11:00 to 14:00.
Where to stand to watch the parade
The planned 2026 route covered about 3.6 kilometres, from Avenida de la Constitución by the Bandera de España monument and the Jardines del Triunfo, down Gran Vía de Colón, reaching Plaza de Isabel la Católica at 902 metres and Puerta Real at 1,231.
It then followed the Acera del Darro to the Genil at 1,866 metres and crossed to Plaza Rotary at 2,207. From there it ran along Profesor Tierno Galván, Camino de la Zubia and Calle Fontiveros, which it left at 3,044 metres, ending on Poeta Manuel de Góngora at Puente Blanco.
Where you stand depends on who you are with:
- With a pushchair or small children, take the start on Avenida de la Constitución. The floats pass there first, from 17:00, and you are home earliest.
- With an autistic child, use the dedicated area. In 2026 one was at Cuesta del Hospicio, on the corner of Avenida de la Constitución, the second year the city provided it.
- For the drone show, wait near Puente Blanco around 19:30; Paseo del Violón, Paseo del Salón and the Fuente de las Granadas give the best view.
- For the metro home, stand on Camino de la Zubia, 113 metres from Hípica station.
The central stretch along Gran Vía and Reyes Católicos is the most familiar to visitors staying in the old town, and the one that shares its streets with the Christmas lights. It offers no particular advantage for families beyond being close to the hotels.
What time is the parade, and what happens if it rains
The times you may see quoted as 11:00 to 14:00 belong to a single wet year. On 5 January 2026, with rain forecast, the Ayuntamiento de Granada moved the parade to the morning and cut it short, from the Triunfo along Gran Vía and Reyes Católicos to Plaza del Carmen.
That morning the Kings were also received at the Alhambra’s Gate of Justice at 9:30 and at Los Cármenes football stadium at 10:15. The change was announced the day before, on 4 January, so if the 2027 forecast looks poor, check the city’s notice on the evening of the 4th.
Getting there and back
On the night of the last parade the Metropolitano de Granada ran until 2:00, as on the eve of any public holiday, with extra capacity. For the start, Estación Ferrocarril is 542 metres away from the Triunfo and Universidad 612 metres; for the end, Hípica is 113 metres from Camino de la Zubia and 9 minutes on foot from Puente Blanco.
City buses cost 1.60 euros a single ticket paid to the driver, but buses cannot use the streets the floats occupy, so the metro is the more dependable way back. The parade is free and there is nothing to book.
Dinner is easy to plan around. Granada eats late, and after a 19:30 finish a late dinner in the centre fits the local timetable; the tapa that comes with each drink in Granada and Calle Navas are the obvious options.
Who are the Three Kings and why do Spanish children wait for them
In Spain children write to the Three Kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, rather than to Santa, and the Kings deliver on the night of 5 January. The parade is the moment children see them, on an evening that falls in the school Christmas holidays.
The day after, 6 January, is a public holiday in Andalusia. The Christmas lights stay on until that date, so a visitor in Granada on the 5th gets the parade and the Granada Christmas lights in the same evening.
Before the parade the Kings send messengers. In 2026 the Royal Herald collected letters on 3 January, and the Royal Postman sat in the City Hall courtyard from mid-December, next to one of Granada’s nativity scenes.
Which neighbourhoods have their own parade
Several neighbourhoods hold their own parade or gift-giving on different days, and the Ayuntamiento lists them in its Christmas programme. In the 2025-2026 season the Albaicín gave out presents on 5 January at 12:00 in El Fargue, Cerrillo de Maracena paraded at 17:30, and Barrio de la Cruz at 19:00 towards Plaza Polo y Caña.
Barranco del Abogado and San Francisco Javier both started at 20:30 on 5 January, and the Royal Pages of San Ildefonso went out on 4 January at 18:00. They suit families who would rather avoid the crowds of the centre.
FAQ about the Granada Three Kings parade
When is the Three Kings parade in Granada?
On the evening of 5 January every year, the eve of Epiphany. In 2027 that is Tuesday 5 January. The planned 2026 parade set off at 17:00 from Avenida de la Constitución, by the Triunfo gardens, and ended with a drone show at Puente Blanco at around 19:30.
What is the route of the Granada Three Kings parade?
The planned 2026 route ran about 3.6 kilometres from Avenida de la Constitución down Gran Vía de Colón and Reyes Católicos to Puerta Real, then along the Acera del Darro, across the river Genil to Plaza Rotary, Camino de la Zubia and Calle Fontiveros, ending at Puente Blanco.
Why was the Granada parade in the morning in 2026?
Because rain was forecast for the evening. On 5 January 2026 the Ayuntamiento de Granada moved the parade to 11:00 to 14:00 on a shorter route from the Triunfo to Plaza del Carmen. It was a one-off rain plan, and the parade normally runs in the late afternoon and evening.
Is there a quiet area for autistic children at the Granada parade?
Yes. In 2026 the Ayuntamiento set aside a space for children with autism spectrum disorder for the second year running, with one area at Cuesta del Hospicio, on the corner of Avenida de la Constitución, near the start of the route. There were also spaces for people with reduced mobility.
In Granada the Three Kings parade happens in the evening; the morning version was the rain talking.