Día de Reyes in Spain — 6 January 2027
Your first January in Spain feels like a second Christmas and nobody explains it. Reyes is the holiday that tells you most about your new country: a fixed national day off and the real gift day for children.
6 January 2027 is a national holiday
It is a Wednesday and, once more, a public holiday across Spain. Source: Resolución de 8 de octubre de 2026, which publishes the 2027 labour holidays — BOE no. 254 of 13 October 2026, pp. 136413–136417, document BOE-A-2026-21254. Its January table lists "6 — Epifanía del Señor" with the code (**) in all nineteen columns: the seventeen autonomous communities plus Ceuta and Melilla. 1 January carries the code (*). The legend at the foot of the annex, "Códigos de las fiestas", reads: «Fiesta Nacional no sustituible (*). Fiesta Nacional respecto de la que no se ha ejercido la facultad de sustitución (**). Fiesta de Comunidad Autónoma (***).» So 2027 starts with two national holidays within six days (Friday 1 and Wednesday 6 January). Each municipality can also add up to two local holidays, so calendars differ from town to town.
What happens
Evening of 5 January — the Cabalgata de Reyes. Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar ride through the city: floats, royal pages, bands, sweets thrown into the crowd. Routes and times change yearly and every city has its own; the one already listed on the official tourism portal spain.info is the Alcoy parade (Alicante), described there as held since 1885 and the oldest parade in Spain, dated 5 January 2027. For yours, check your city council (ayuntamiento) page.
Morning of 6 January — the presents. Children open what the Kings left overnight: in many homes Reyes, not Christmas, is the big gift day. The long family meal falls on 24–25 December or at lunch on 6 January.
Roscón de Reyes. A big ring-shaped sweet bread. Eaten on the afternoon of 5 January or after the presents, with coffee or thick hot chocolate. It usually comes with a small figure hidden inside — luck to whoever finds it.
What is closed, what stays open
Offices, banks and most small businesses are closed. Shops, museums, restaurants and supermarkets differ by region, owner and town. Duty pharmacies (farmacia de guardia) stay open; the one on duty is shown in pharmacy windows and local listings. Public transport often runs a Sunday or holiday timetable. Check your council site and your transport operator; the shop's own sign has the final word.
If you are on your own
- Go to the cabalgata. A free street parade: no ticket, no invitation, thousands of strangers enjoying the same thing. Check your city council page for route and time. Standing near the start beats the packed finish; arrive 45 minutes early.
- Buy a roscón and share it. That is the whole ritual. Offer slices to neighbours, flatmates or colleagues; where a dried bean (haba) is also hidden in the cake, the custom in many places is that whoever finds it pays for the roscón, while the figure brings luck or a paper crown; the rule varies by family and region.
- Greet people. "¡Feliz Día de Reyes!" lands well with the concierge, the baker, the neighbour in the lift.
Gifts with colleagues
Reyes presents are mostly for children. Any office gift exchange happens before Christmas; on Reyes itself, arriving with a roscón and coffee for the shared kitchen is the appreciated move. If you give something, keep it edible, shareable and small — turrón, marzipan, cava. Nobody expects a present from the newest colleague.
FAQ
1. Do I get 6 January 2027 off? If your contract follows the Spanish labour calendar, yes: national, paid, not recoverable. In shifts, retail, hospitality or care work, check your roster and your convenio.
2. Are shops open on 6 January? Depends on region, business and town; check the council calendar and the shop's hours.
3. Should I buy presents for colleagues? No. Food for the shared table is plenty.
4. Is it strange to watch the cabalgata alone? No — it is a public street event and most people around you are strangers too.
Sources (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- BOE — fiestas laborales 2027, Resolución de 8.10.2026, BOE no. 254 of 13.10.2026 (BOE-A-2026-21254); January table and the "Códigos de las fiestas" legend quoted verbatim: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-21254
- spain.info (official tourism portal) — Three Kings Parade in Alcoy, 05 Jan 2027, "held since 1885 and is the oldest parade in Spain": https://www.spain.info/en/calendar/three-kings-parade/
- Euronews (es) — roscón de Reyes: figurita and haba customs differ by place: https://es.euronews.com/2026/01/01/este-es-el-origen-del-roscon-de-reyes
Downloads a small calendar file with Día de Reyes (6 January 2027). It is created in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Last checked: 2026-10-21.
How it works
- Read the guide, check your city council page for the cabalgata, and pick a plan.
- Open Meet & Mint: events and people near you on one map.
- Join an event alone and chat with the group before you go.
- Meet at the event. Many events from our sites are in the app too.