Drones, horses and sugar-free sweets: Madrid’s greenest Three Kings parade

Madrid experiences its most eco-friendly Three Kings parade. Drones and horses reinforce security. Sugar-free sweets for 200,000 children. Giant floats and unique choreographies will surprise people at Cibeles. Discover every detail of the most eagerly awaited event.

Madrid is transformed this Monday to celebrate the most eco-friendly Three Kings parade in its history. More than 200,000 children await the arrival of Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar, who will hand out thousands of sweets free from sugar and gluten. The event will have an unprecedented security deployment: 400 municipal officers, drones, mounted police, police dogs and firefighters will watch over the route.

The parade starts at 18:00 at Nuevos Ministerios and culminates at 21:00 in Plaza de Cibeles. The itinerary passes through emblematic points such as Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz, Paseo de la Castellana, Plaza del Doctor Gregorio Marañón, Glorieta de Emilio Castelar, Plaza de Colón and Paseo de Recoletos. From 15:30, traffic will be closed on more than a dozen streets, especially along the Castellana-Neptuno axis.

The City Council has prepared a special operation to guarantee the safety and smooth running of the parade. More than 400 municipal officers from different districts, together with the canine section, mounted squadron, drones, cyclists and the band, will be present. Policía Nacional, 200 Samur and Protección Civil personnel, and firefighters will also take part. Eight additional deployments will cover the districts where the Three Kings will appear, bringing the total to nearly 900 municipal police officers.

The zero-emission floats, of impressive dimensions —6.5 metres high, 14 long and almost 4 wide—, will represent each king's wisdom. Melchor's will be dedicated to knowledge and astronomy, decorated with telescopes and an armillary sphere. Gaspar will pay tribute to mathematics and architecture, with rulers, compasses and classical symbols. Baltasar will focus on literature, with books, moons, stars and paper boats. Ten animated, 'wise' birds, guided by the star, will open the parade, symbolising knowledge.

At Cibeles, two choreographies will surprise the public: one with 14 dancers who will portray life 'before screens' before the Three Kings arrive, and another in a classical and oriental style that will tell the story of gold, frankincense and myrrh.