Granada Three Kings Parade 2027: a practical guide

What is the Three Kings parade?

In Spain, Christmas presents are brought by the Three Kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, on the night of 5 to 6 January. On the evening before, they ride through the city on floats, throwing sweets to the crowd. In Granada it is the busiest evening on the streets of the whole Christmas season.

When is the Granada Three Kings parade in 2027?

Date: Tuesday 5 January 2027. The time, the route and who will play the Kings have not been published. The 2026 edition was presented on 4 December 2025 (Ahora Granada), so the 2027 details should be out in early December. We will update this guide then.

2026 for reference (Monday 5 January), as announced:

• Start: 17:00 from Avenida de la Constitución, where it meets Gran Vía, next to the large Spanish flag and the Jardines del Triunfo. That was half an hour earlier than in previous years (Granada Digital).
• Procession: 25 floats, including one for Granada's bid to be European Capital of Culture 2031, carrying children picked by draw, and the return of the popular "chickens" float (Ahora Granada).
• Sweets: about 15,000 kilos, plus gifts (Granada Digital).
• Kings: flamenco dancer Manuel Liñán (Melchior), guitarist Juan Habichuela "Nieto" (Caspar) and jazz musician Miguel María Pérez Corroso (Balthazar). Race walker María Pérez was the Star of Hope (Ahora Granada).
• Drones: a drone show was planned at about 19:30 at Puente Blanco (Granada Digital).

Before the parade: the Kings start the day at the Alhambra. In 2026 the mayor welcomed them at 9:30 at the Puerta de la Justicia (Ahora Granada), and they visited it in 2025 too (Ahora Granada).

The parade route street by street

The 2027 route has not been published. The route announced for 2026 (Granada Digital):

1. Avenida de la Constitución (start, at the junction with Gran Vía)
2. Gran Vía de Colón
3. Reyes Católicos
4. Acera del Darro
5. Plaza Rotary
6. Profesor Tierno Galván
7. Camino de la Zubia
8. Calle Fontiveros
9. Puerta de Manuel de Góngora
10. Puente Blanco (stop for the drone show, at about 19:30)

Afterwards, the Kings arrive at City Hall in Plaza del Carmen, where the elf Fermín announces them from the main balcony (Ahora Granada). No times were published for each section.

2025 route: it started at the Gran Capitán cultural centre and finished in Plaza del Carmen, covering about 5 kilometres with 26 floats (Ahora Granada).

How long it lasts: three to four hours. In 2026, on the short morning route, the first float entered Gran Vía at 11:20 and Balthazar reached Plaza del Carmen at 14:00 (Granada Digital). In 2025 it left at 16:30 and was due in Plaza del Carmen at about 19:30 (Ahora Granada).

Where to watch the parade

Using the 2026 route as a reference:

• The start, Avenida de la Constitución: it is a wide boulevard and the parade passes here first, so you see the whole procession earlier than in the centre.
• Quiet area for autistic children: in 2026 it was on Cuesta del Hospicio, at the corner with Avenida de la Constitución, with no music or loud sound (Ahora Granada).
• Reduced mobility: there were three reserved areas for families with mobility needs. The source does not say where; ask the local police or the council on the day.
• Drones: the show was meant to be seen from Paseo del Salón, Fuente de las Granadas and Paseo del Violón (Granada Digital).
• Reyes Católicos and Plaza del Carmen: the most central section and the finish. With small children, a spot near the start lets you see the procession earlier and get home sooner.

If you want to stay near the route, find a place to stay in central Granada.

What if it rains? What happened in 2025 and 2026

The last two parades changed because rain was forecast, and both times the decision was announced on 4 January:

• 2025 (Sunday 5 January): the start was brought forward an hour, to 16:30, on the same route. Mayor Marifrán Carazo announced it on the 4th during the Kings' visit to the Alhambra, to "have more time and avoid a shower" (Ahora Granada). People were asked to reach the start an hour earlier than planned (Granada Digital).
• 2026 (Monday 5 January): the council moved it to the morning, 11:00 to 14:00, on a shorter route: Triunfo, Gran Vía, Reyes Católicos, Plaza del Carmen and City Hall (Granada Digital). It said it would keep watching the forecast in case the parade had to be cancelled (Ahora Granada). In the end it went ahead in the morning under clear skies (Granada Digital). None of the sources we read says whether the drones flew.

Tip: if rain is forecast, check the council's news and the local press on 4 January, the day before. The parade can change time or route, and in 2026 it moved from the evening to the morning.

Road closures, buses and metro

We have not found an official notice with the 2026 closures or bus diversions. What is published:

• Metro: Tuesday 5 January 2027 is the eve of a public holiday, when the Granada metro runs from 6:30 to 2:00, with trains every 15 minutes after 23:00. On 6 January, a public holiday, it runs from 6:30 to 23:00 (Metro de Granada). The handiest stops are Universidad, next to the Monastery of San Jerónimo, and Recogidas, in the centre (Metro de Granada).
• City buses: run by Transportes Rober. For big events it posts the diversions as a PDF on its website, as it did for La Vuelta cycling race in September 2026 (Transportes Rober). Lines that use the route may be diverted: check its notices page (Transportes Rober) in the days before.
• Car: better not to drive into the centre. You cannot cross the route while the procession is passing.

Tips for the parade

• Arrive early: if you want a front-row spot, give yourself time, especially at the start and in the centre.
• Bring a bag for the sweets: thousands of kilos are thrown, and children pick them up off the ground.
• Children: agree on a meeting point in case you get separated, and write your phone number on something your child carries.
• Rain: the last two parades changed time because of the forecast. Check the news on the 4th.
• Warm clothes: January evenings in Granada are cold, and you will be standing still for a long time.

6 January in Granada: what is open and what is closed

Wednesday 6 January 2027, Epiphany, is a public holiday across Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía). It is the day children open their presents and families eat roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread.

• Alhambra: in winter (15 October to 31 March) it opens every day from 8:30 to 18:00 and only closes on 25 December and 1 January, so it is open on 6 January. Night visits are on Fridays and Saturdays only (Alhambra Trust). Book your ticket in advance.
• Museo de Bellas Artes (Palace of Charles V, inside the Alhambra): closed on 6 January (Junta de Andalucía).
• Cathedral: on 6 January, 15:00 to 17:45 (Granada Cathedral).
• Royal Chapel: on 6 January it opens from 11:00; its website gives closing time as 18:00 in one list and 18:30 in another, and asks visitors to confirm before going (Capilla Real).
• Shops: 6 January 2027 is not one of the authorised shop opening days in Andalusia. Sundays 3 and 10 January are (BOJA 16 June 2026). Shops exempt from opening-hours rules may open; check each place's hours.
• Metro: holiday timetable, 6:30 to 23:00, with trains every 11 minutes between 9:30 and 20:30 (Metro de Granada).

More plans for those dates in our Christmas in Granada guide and the Granada events listings.