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The Three Kings riding camels down a snowy street lit with Christmas lights while families wave
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Día de Reyes · January 6

Three Kings Day in the US: when it is, what families do, and where the parades are

For millions of American families Christmas is not over on December 25. On the night of January 5 children leave out their shoes and a bit of grass for the camels, and in the morning the Three Kings have been. Here is how the day works, when it falls, and where to see the Kings ride through US cities.

35 celebrations in 23 US metro areas · 765 parishes with Spanish Mass in 33 states · checked September 2026

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until Three Kings Day

When is Three Kings Day?

Always on January 6 — twelve days after Christmas, the feast Christian churches call the Epiphany. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. The gifts come overnight, so the evening that matters to children is January 5, which is also Twelfth Night.

Parades and community celebrations don't always fall on the 6th itself. When it lands midweek, many cities hold theirs on the weekend before or after, so check the city list below for how each one usually does it.

What families do on the night of January 5

Children write a letter to Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar — the way other children write to Santa — and leave their shoes by the door, the bed or the Christmas tree. Puerto Rican children fill a shoebox with grass or hay and slide it under the bed so the camels have something to eat after the long ride. A glass of water is a thoughtful extra.

In the morning the grass is gone and there are presents in or beside the shoes. In Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain this has long been the main gift day; in the US many families do both — Santa on the 25th, a smaller gift from the Kings on the 6th.

The rosca, and who owes tamales

On the afternoon or evening of the 6th the family cuts a rosca de reyes — a ring of sweet bread topped with candied fruit, usually with hot chocolate. Hidden inside are one or more tiny figurines of the baby Jesus. Whoever's slice has one hosts the next party: tamales for everyone on February 2, Día de la Candelaria.

Spanish families eat a similar roscón, often filled with cream. Mexican bakeries across the US bake roscas from late December to mid-January — see our guide to where to buy one in your city.

A Mexican rosca de reyes with candied fruit strips and a small white baby figurine on topPhoto: Luisitoniano · CC BY-SA 4.0

Who celebrates Three Kings Day in America

Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican and Spanish families above all, and many other Latin American communities. It is also a feast day in Catholic parishes, where the Epiphany Mass is celebrated on the nearest Sunday. In New York and Miami the parades have run for decades and draw whole neighborhoods.

Riders on decorated lowrider bicycles in the Three Kings Day parade in Williamsburg, BrooklynPhoto: Matt Mechtley · CC BY-SA 2.0

Where to see the Three Kings in US cities

35 free and family celebrations in 23 metro areas — parades, museum days, parish processions and community fiestas. We searched Google in 34 metros with large Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Spanish communities and kept only events with a date and a place confirmed by the organizer or local press. Dates are as last held; most repeat on the same weekend, and organizers announce the next one in December.

Tap Near me for the celebrations below plus 765 Catholic parishes whose own website lists a Spanish Mass. Many of them bless the children, share a rosca and hold a Día de Reyes gathering after Mass on the Sunday nearest January 6 — check the bulletin in late December.

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By city

New York & the Northeast, NY / CT / MA

  • East Harlem

    El Museo del Barrio Three Kings Day Parade

    The city's largest and longest-running Three Kings celebration: kings, camels and sheep, giant puppets, school groups and live music up Park Avenue, then a community celebration at the museum. Held on January 6 itself, whatever the weekday.

    Last held: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (48th parade)

    Park Avenue from 106th St to 115th St, New York, NYOrganizer's page

  • Williamsburg

    Three Kings Day Parade of Brooklyn

    A neighborhood parade down Graham Avenue — lowrider bikes have been a favorite — with gifts handed out to children about an hour after it ends. Usually the Sunday after January 6.

    Last held: Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 2 pm (29th parade)

    Meeker St & Graham Ave to Broadway & Debevoise St, Brooklyn, NYOrganizer's page

  • Lower East Side

    Día de los 3 Reyes Magos on the Lower East Side

    A free afternoon of music and tradition for families, listed by the Manhattan Borough President's office.

    Last held: Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 3–5 pm

    107 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002Organizer's page

  • Rye, Westchester

    Three Kings Day at the Westchester Children's Museum

    A Día de Reyes afternoon for young children at the museum by Playland.

    Last held: Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 3–5 pm

    100 Playland Pkwy, Rye, NYOrganizer's page

  • Hartford, CT

    Three Kings Day Parade

    Hartford's Puerto Rican community parades down Park Street to Pope Park on January 6, followed by a toy distribution for children.

    Last held: Tuesday, January 6, 2026, stepping off at 10 am

    95 Park St, Hartford, CTOrganizer's page

  • Springfield, MA

    Three Kings Day at Union Station

    An annual evening celebration on January 6 in the restored station hall.

    Every year on January 6; last confirmed: Monday, January 6, 2025, evening

    Union Station, 55 Frank B Murray St, Springfield, MAOrganizer's page

Philadelphia & Lehigh Valley, PA

Washington, DC

  • Columbia Heights

    Fiesta de los Reyes Magos at GALA Theatre

    A free family celebration that starts with a parade of the Kings and live animals around the block, then a show inside the Latino theatre.

    Every year around Epiphany; last confirmed: Sunday, January 5, 2025, early afternoon

    GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DCOrganizer's page

Miami & Orlando, FL

Chicago, IL

Milwaukee & Indianapolis, WI / IN

Houston, TX

Dallas & San Antonio, TX

Los Angeles & Inland Empire, CA

San Diego, CA

San Jose & Fresno, CA

  • Downtown San Jose

    Three Kings Day at the Children's Discovery Museum

    Crown making, tortilla making and rosca de reyes for families.

    Every year in early January; last confirmed: Saturday, January 11, 2025, 11 am–3 pm

    Children's Discovery Museum, 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CAOrganizer's page

  • Fresno & Bakersfield

    Día de los Reyes Magos Half Marathon & 5K

    A run to start the year, held the first weekend of January in Bakersfield and then Fresno. Get the baby in the rosca, and the organizers expect you at their Tamale Fun Run in February.

    Last held: January 3 (Bakersfield) and January 4 (Fresno), 2026

    Fresno, CAOrganizer's page

Phoenix & Las Vegas, AZ / NV

Santa Fe, NM

Cary (Raleigh area), NC

  • Downtown Cary

    Día de los Reyes Parade

    Run by the Diamante Arts & Cultural Center for more than twenty years: a parade and celebration of Latino culture on a Saturday in early January.

    Last held: Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 1 pm (21st parade)

    N Academy St, Cary, NCOrganizer's page

Questions

Is Three Kings Day a holiday in the US?
Not a federal one — schools and offices are open. It is a public holiday in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and a Catholic feast day everywhere.
What date is Three Kings Day in 2027?
Wednesday, January 6, 2027. The gifts arrive overnight, so children put out their shoes on the evening of Tuesday, January 5.
What food is eaten on Three Kings Day?
Rosca de reyes with hot chocolate in Mexican families; roscón in Spanish ones; in Puerto Rico, a festive meal with pasteles and arroz con gandules. Whoever finds the baby figurine in the rosca makes tamales on February 2.
What do children put out for the Three Kings?
Their shoes, a letter to the Kings, and — in Puerto Rican families — a box of grass or hay for the camels, sometimes with water.