As you’ll already know, Saturday was the day of the 3 Kings in Spain, and here in Barcelona on Friday there was a huge procession (La Cabalgata) through the city lasting about 3 hours, to welcome the Kings (Melchor, Gaspar y Baltasar) and to distribute sweets to the crowds. I went along with some friends, and got a good spot just by Plaza Universidad. The Kings pass by one at a time on giant floats all decorated with lights and fireworks. The parade was fantastic, and the large groups of dancers that accompany each King were all excellent – the effort that must go into organising so many costumes is unbelievable.

I’d been told that some of the floats have ladders so that they can climb up and give sweets to the people on the balconies of apartments along the route, but as I was in an open Plaza, I didn’t see this in action unfortunately. The crowd was full of parents with their children, and it must’ve been really magical for the kids to see all this going on, and especially so given that the Kings have "helpers” who walk along the edge of the crowds and collect the letters from the children to the Kings with their requests for gifts.

When the sweet-throwing reached its peak, it was like feeding time at the zoo! Children everywhere scurrying around to collect them from the floor like a pack of hyenas! (I, of course, made sure I got one to eat for good luck too!) The final float contained a display like a giant coal fire, which I didn’t understand until my friend told me that the children who have been bad during the year only receive "carbón” (coal) from the Kings! How awful! Although, it’s good to know that parents in Spain torment their children with similar behaviour-control methods as back home in England!

All in all, the only downside to the day was that my camera was broken so I don’t have any pictures to share. But if you ever get the chance to be in Barcelona for a future Cabalgata, I thoroughly recommend it, especially if you have kids (or indeed, if you are a big kid like me!)

Dave Hall lives and works in Barcelona.