20th anniversary of Three Kings Day celebration at Old Town

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The 20th annual Three Kings Day celebration at Old Town returns on Sunday.

According to Osceola Chamber President and CEO John Newstreet, the upcoming event will offer various freebies such as admission, toy giveaways, hot dogs, and entertainment. Attendees will also have the chance to win bikes, bicycles, and tablets through a raffle, making everything at the event completely free for all participants.

The Osceola Chamber works with sponsors to make the day magical for children.

Newstreet highlighted the positive impact of the event, emphasizing the joy it brings to children and families coming together. He noted that the occasion serves as a source of upliftment and also allows the local business community to contribute by giving back to the residents. Newstreet expressed his appreciation for the uniqueness of the event in Osceola, stating that it sets the community apart from others by the generosity and spirit of togetherness it fosters.

The celebration of Three Kings Day, also known as Día de Los Reyes, is a widely observed tradition in numerous countries across the globe. This occasion pays homage to the Biblical Three Wise Men, or Kings, who presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to infant Jesus. In many Latin American cultures, children eagerly anticipate this day for the exchange of holiday gifts and the enjoyment of special treats.

“Since I was a very small child, I could remember opening my eyes up on the 6th of January every year and just being able to look under my bed and find a gift that was left behind by the Three Kings,” Osceola Chamber Member Services Manager Iris Colon said.

Colon has celebrated the holiday her entire life.

“I’m actually doing the same with my children, who are 22, 12, and eight, and they find it really amusing, but also just the history behind it,” she said.

On this day, it is believed that the Three Kings visit every good child to deliver gifts. Traditionally, if a child has been well-behaved, they receive toys, while misbehaved children might find a lump of dirt or charcoal.

Instead of leaving cookies out as children do for Santa Claus on Christmas, for Three Kings Day, they put grass in a box for the king’s camels to enjoy on their journey.

“It’s basically to feed the herd that was coming, whether it was the camels that the Three Kings were riding on or the sheep that they were herding with them along the way to leave these gifts for the baby Jesus,” Colon explained.

The 20th annual Three Kings Day celebration will take place at Old Town in Kissimmee, at 5770 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.