Their Majesties from the East are approaching the Catalan capital, where they will arrive on Friday, as is traditional, across the Mediterranean and aboard the schooner Santa Eulàlia. This will not be, however, the only vessel that will accompany the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the city this year. For the first time, a hundred royal pages will collect letters hours before their arrival, and they will do so by the sea and escorted from the water by multiple boats. The reason? The America's Cup. The celebration of the most important sailing competition in the world in the city could not be oblivious to the most magical night of the year.
The royal pages will collect letters with the wishes of young Barcelonians between 12 and 1 p.m. on the beaches of Barceloneta and Somorrostro, from the Espigó del Gas. From the sea, this entourage of boats will follow the pages in a prelude to the Parade and the activities linked to the America's Cup, which will be held between August and October. The Three Wise Men and their companions have invited the participating teams of the competition to take part in this marine rua, as well as tugboats and other sailboats. The letter collection will culminate with a choreography and pyrotechnics, a few hours before the Kings arrive in the city.
It is the first time that the Parade has scheduled this massive collection of letters, and the City Council does not rule out that it will be the last. This was explained at the presentation of the royal entourage by Barcelona's Councillor for Culture and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé, who has opened the door for this letter collection to be reissued next year, either in this or another format.
The Parade has had a budget of 950,000 euros, and mobilizes about 1,200 people"The Copa América has allowed us and forced us to think of some element that would pay homage to it and establish a relationship. Everything that happens in the Cavalcade is processed afterwards, and we have to see what works," Marcé added among floats, props and costumes in the presentation of the Cavalcade from a pavilion in Montjuïc. In the background, music and loud instructions for the rehearsals of the royal retinue, to ensure that everything goes perfectly at the reception of Their Majesties by the city and its residents, especially the youngest ones.
Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar will arrive in Barcelona at 4:30 PM, when they will be presented with bread and salt as a symbol of hospitality and welcome. They will be received by the mayor, Jaume Collboni, who bore a curious and exact resemblance to King Melchor of the 2017 Three Kings Parade in the Catalan capital. With the city keys in hand, the Three Kings will begin their route at 6 PM on Avinguda Marquès de l'Argentera, following the same route as last year. They will pass through Paseo Colom, Paral·lel, Ronda Sant Pau and Urgell street, until reaching Avenida Maria Cristina via Sepúlveda street.
The procession will conclude its route after 9 PM, at the foot of the Font Màgica de Montjuïc. Like last year, but without water. In fact, Patge Gregori has said that, just as children wish to receive many gifts, the Kings wish for rain. And they do so without fearing for their arrival in Barcelona: "The Parade is prepared for everything, be it rain or snow." And nothing will stop Their Majesties in their distribution of joy throughout Barcelona homes. This was stated alongside Marcé at the presentation of the Parade details, in which Barbarana Pons, artistic director of the parade alongside Marta Almirall, also participated.
This year's Parade arrives not only full of excitement, but also with novelties. In addition to the massive prior letter collection, Gaspar and Baltasar will debut their respective floats. Designed by Marc Salicrú and José Menchero, they have been inspired by landscapes from their places of origin, with the collaboration of the Senegalese-born artist Michel Doudou. Gaspar's float will feature camel figures as the main element, while Baltasar's will be accompanied by live percussion and evoke African landscapes.
They will not only debut new floats, but also new costumes, designed by Raquel Bonillo, as well as banners and new musical pieces, created by composers Alejandro Vivero and Esteban Tamashiro, in collaboration with the Conservatori del Liceu. All in a Parade that has had a budget of 950,000 euros, and that mobilizes some 1,200 people, including dancers, actors and volunteers. They will choreograph and star in what is Barcelona's largest street show, which is over a kilometer long.
Along this kilometer, 12 professional companies and more than 20 entities, associations, and schools will participate, including entities with people with functional diversity, with the purpose of offering an inclusive Parade. Also with this objective, two spaces have been reserved for people with reduced mobility, located in Plaza Antonio López and in Plaza Espanya with Paral·lel.
Nor will there be a lack of candies. The parade will distribute five tons of sweets, and it will do so from the floats that close the Parade, to avoid the risk of tempting attendees to get too close to the vehicles while they are moving through the city. And there will be no lack of candies, but neither will the indispensable coal. It will travel loaded on a float that will be part of a parade that wants to fill the little ones with illusion and at the same time transfer it to adults, facing the new year that opens for the city and Barcelonans with optimism.
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