Does it rain at the Three Kings parade in Spain?

Three Kings parade, the evening of 5 January. Warnings 2019–2026; updated 27 October 2026.

Every 5 January, in the evening, the Three Kings parade through the streets of almost every city in Spain, and every year some city watches the sky, worried it will have to change the parade. This is what the official warnings say about that day, year by year, in the big cities.

years with a warning in some city

of 8, on the festival's dates

cities with a warning in 2021

of 54, the busiest year

years with orange or red in some city

of 8

zones in Spain with a warning, on average

of 180 zones, that day

The short answer

In 8 of the 8 years since 2019 there was a warning in at least one of the 54 cities during the Three Kings parade; at orange or red, in 2. The city with a warning in the most years: Lleida (6 of 8).

This is not a forecast: it counts how often AEMET warned on those dates in recent years. A warning is a forecast that a threshold will be crossed in the zone, not damage or the rain that fell.

In 2020 and 2021, because of the pandemic, many festivals were cancelled or moved. Here we count warnings on their usual dates.

Three Kings parade and the weather

The cabalgata is on the evening of 5 January in every big city, with floats, sweets and thousands of children in the street. When rain or wind threatens, each city council decides whether to keep it, shorten it, bring it forward or move it to another day.

We count the warning for the whole of 5 January in each city's zone: a warning that day may be for the morning, not the evening. Below is each city, year by year, and how all of Spain looked that day.

City by city, year by year

yelloworangered

Each square is that day's highest warning in the city's zone. Cities from most to fewest years with a warning.

All of Spain that day

242019102020642021572022222023452024422025742026

Warning zones across Spain with some warning that day, out of 180, by their highest level.

The most serious days

orange5 January 2026: Lleida: orange warning for cold and snow · part of an episode
orange5 January 2021: Segovia: orange warning for cold
orange5 January 2021: Ávila: orange warning for cold

What each colour means for an outdoor festival

YellowWeather that isn't unusual but can affect particular activities, such as an outdoor event or a procession. Keep an eye on updates and on what the organisers say.
OrangeSignificant risk: unusual weather that can cause damage. This is when organisers may change times or routes, or call events off.
RedExtraordinary risk: very intense weather. Follow the instructions of Civil Protection and the city council.

If you're going to Three Kings parade

If there's a warning, check your city council's website and social media that morning: it decides whether the parade changes.
With a wind warning, take care around the floats and tall structures; with rain, a raincoat beats an umbrella in the crowd.
It's at night in midwinter: wrap the children up warmly for the wait.
Check AEMET's forecast in the days before and your zone's warnings on the Climaviso map.

The next edition

Three Kings parade 2027: 5 January 2027. 70 days to go.

AEMET's forecast for those dates comes out only a few days ahead: today nobody can know what the weather will be. What we do know is how previous years went.

See today's warnings on the map

Frequently asked questions