San Sebastian Three Kings Parade 2027 (Errege Kabalgata): a practical guide

What is the Three Kings Parade?

In Spain, Christmas presents are brought by the Three Kings on the night of 5 to 6 January. The evening before, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar ride through the city on floats while their entourage throws sweets to the crowd. It is a free street celebration, mainly for children.

In Basque it is called the Errege Kabalgata (errege means king). In Donostia / San Sebastián it is organised by the City Council through Donostia Kultura, and the parade is short and central, on a loop that starts and ends at the Boulevard (Donostia Kultura).

When is the San Sebastian Three Kings Parade 2027?

On Tuesday 5 January 2027. The 2027 programme has not been published. We will update this guide as soon as it is.

The next day, Wednesday 6 January 2027, is a public holiday across Spain (BOE).

The 2026 programme and route, for reference

This is how it went on Monday 5 January 2026, according to the council programme (Donostia Kultura, programme):

Parade route: Boulevard, Hernani, Avenida de la Libertad, Urbieta, Prim, Vergara, Idiaquez, Plaza de Gipuzkoa, Legazpi and back to the Boulevard. Afterwards, the Kings visited three care homes for older people.

The 2026 parade: five floats, the usual four (Jaiotza, the Nativity, and those of Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) plus a fifth with the city's big-headed figures (cabezudos), along with teams of pages and street performers (Donostia Kultura).

The reception at City Hall

In 2026 the Kings welcomed everyone who came to the City Hall council chamber from 15:30, with no booking. The queue forms at Alderdi Eder, next to City Hall, and closed at 17:10 at the terrace gate; the reception ended at about 17:30. After that, the pages collected letters from children who could not get in, to hand to the Kings before the parade.

Pages gave out sweets suitable for people with coeliac disease and diabetes to anyone who asked. Children with reduced mobility could enter from Calle Ijentea, and one page knew sign language (Donostia Kultura).

Where to watch the parade

• Boulevard: the start and finish, and the liveliest spot. Get there early.
• Avenida de la Libertad and Urbieta: long, wide central streets, easier with children.
• Plaza de Gipuzkoa: a garden square on the route, in the final stretch.
• To see the Kings up close: the afternoon reception or their morning tour of the neighbourhoods, with far smaller crowds than the parade.

Tips for your first parade

• The sweets: thrown to the crowd along the route. Bring a bag for the children.
• Rain: it often rains in San Sebastian in January. Bring a rain jacket; an open umbrella blocks the view for people behind you.
• Clothing: wrap up, it is a January evening outdoors.
• With children: agree on a meeting point in case you get separated.

Buses (Dbus) and trains

• Dbus (city buses): on 5 January 2026, from about 17:30 to 19:45, almost every line through the centre was cut short or moved stops. Stops on the Boulevard, Avenida de la Libertad, Urbieta, Plaza de Gipuzkoa, Okendo and Easo, among others, had no service. For example, lines 5 and 25 terminated at San Martín 52 and 54, and lines 21, 26 and 28 at the Santa Catalina bridge (Dbus).
• Euskotren: in 2025 it ran extra trains on the evening of 5 January for the parade: line E2 every 15 minutes between Amara and Irun, and E1 every 30 minutes between Zumaia and Amara (Euskotren). We have not found the 2026 notice.
• Car: do not drive into the centre that evening.

What opens and closes on 6 January?

6 January (Epiphany, Kings' Day) is a national public holiday and a family day: presents are opened in the morning and many households eat roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped sweet with a small figurine and a dried bean hidden inside.

Many shops close and museums have holiday hours or close: check each website before you go. More plans in our Christmas in San Sebastian guide, which covers the Tamborrada drum festival on 20 January, and the San Sebastian listings.