Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is set to welcome the Three Wise Men of the East in a grand celebration today, Sunday 5th January. Their Majesties, Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar, will arrive at the city’s Naval Base at 12:00pm (midday), marking the beginning of a day filled with enchantment and joy.
The Wise Men will arrive aboard three separate vessels, a unique touch facilitated by the Naval Command of the Canary Islands. The city’s mayor, Carolina Darias, will greet them at the base, presenting them with the key to the city. This symbolic gesture grants them access to visit every home in the capital to deliver gifts.
Doors to the base opened at 9:30 this morning to allow the public to gather for the festivities. Vehicles, except for emergency and organisational ones, are not permitted inside the premises. The morning will be filled with entertainment, including the musical show Cantajuego presents: Mi amigo Buby, which begins at 11:00am, building excitement for the arrival of the Three Wise Men.
The Grand Parade
Later today, at 4:30pm, the highly anticipated Cavalcade of the Three Wise Men will bring joy to the streets of Las Palmas. Starting from the Castillo de La Luz, the parade will travel through iconic city streets, including Juan Rejón, Albareda, Santa Catalina Park, Presidente Alvear, León y Castillo, and Muelle Las Palmas, culminating at San Telmo Park.
Music will enliven the parade, except in designated noise-sensitive areas. These quiet zones, including the stretch between the Julio Luengo tunnels and Santa Catalina Hospital and near Perpetuo Socorro Hospital, are designed to accommodate children sensitive to sound, ensuring inclusivity for all attendees.
Magical Floats and Performers
The cavalcade will feature 14 dazzling floats, each crafted around imaginative themes such as flying carpets on clouds. Public entities, charitable organisations, and private companies will contribute their own creative floats, accompanying the Wise Men on their journey. A troupe of 400 dancers and performers will lead the parade, adding vibrancy and energy to the procession to spread the spirit of the season across Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
