Orihuela’s City Council has launched the tender for the 2025 Three Kings parades, marking one of the key events of the Christmas season. The total budget amounts to €253,966, divided into two sections: €207,623 for the city center and €46,343 for the coastal area.
This represents an overall increase of nearly €46,000 compared to last year’s €208,000, although the final 2024 contract was awarded for €170,000.
In percentage terms, the budget for the city’s parade rises by 34%, while the allocation for the coastal area is reduced by 12%. The change has already sparked criticism from local groups, particularly the residents’ association Unidos por la Costa. The group denounced the reduction as “shameful,” arguing that the coast “contributes more than €15 million annually in excess of what it receives” and is “constantly shortchanged—whether in cultural events, infrastructure, or basic maintenance.”
The association also warned that the sense of “independence as a solution” is growing among residents frustrated with the PP–Vox local government.
The contract includes numerous details highlighting the scale of the event. Around €8,400 will be spent on 1,200 kilograms of gluten-free, fat-free fruit-flavoured sweets, while €6,100 will go toward 8,000 toys, and €4,100 will cover the rental of donkeys for the traditional Nativity scene. The “boatos” —the spectacular floats introducing the Three Kings—will cost €42,000, almost equalling the entire budget for the coastal parade.
The tender, renewable for up to two additional years, also covers the Kings’ visit to Vega Baja Hospital on January 4 and their official reception at Teatro Circo on January 5. The city parade will begin at 6:30 p.m., running from IES Las Espeñetas to San Gregorio Street, featuring themed floats such as coal miners, oversized music boxes with ballet dancers, characters from Paw Patrol and Bluey, illuminated stilt performers, marionettes, and a dreamlike street performance called “Creators of Dreams.”
Traditional elements will follow, including a recreated Hebrew village, LED-lit violins, golden stars, and a live Nativity with Mary and Jesus arriving on a donkey. The parade will end with the arrival of the Three Kings on camels and the long-awaited candy toss.
Meanwhile, the coastal parade will begin at Antonio Vicea Square, ending at La Zenia Boulevard shopping center, where attendees—at least a thousand—will receive gifts. The coastal event promises “a burst of colour and spectacle,” with a 15-dancer ballet evoking the sea, colorful marine creatures, a Mary Poppins number, and floats for both the Nativity and the Three Kings, accompanied by an 18-member marching band.
