By boat, by camel, by donkey, by helicopter, on horseback, on foot, in a convertible…they will come whichever way they can, but come they will. What is sure is that “los Reyes Magos” or the Three Wise Men from the East will somehow reach all the towns in the province on the 5th of January.

They will arrive early in Algeciras since at 12 midday, thousands of people, particularly children, will eagerly demand their presence by dragging tin cans through the streets.

This custom, unique to Spain, of tying hundreds of empty cans of different sizes together with string to announce the imminent arrival of the Three Wise Men (or Kings as they are called in Spain) began more than a hundred years ago.

Legend and tradition have it that by making noise the children try to attract the attention of the “Reyes Magos” so that they visit their homes and don’t get waylaid by the fog produced by the giant Botafuegos. Every year more than 6000 children congregate for this joyful event which hopes to enter some day in the Guinness Book of Records.

The noisy procession starts on the 5th January at midday from the Parque Feria and arrives at about 13.30 at Llano Amarillo where a party with performances and competitions awaits the kids.

Sailing through the Mediterranean and attracted by the din, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar disembark at the port.

The Mayor of the city is there to greet them and to hand them the key to the city. The “royal” parade takes place at 7.30pm and ten tons of sweets are handed out as it passes through the streets.

In Cádiz, the parade starts at 5pm from Plaza de Ingeniero la Cierva and goes down the main avenue (la Avenida), through the gates of the city (las Puertas de Tierra) and reaching Plaza de San Juan de Dios about two hours later.

There the Wise Men dismount from their camels and wave to the crowds from the balcony of the Town Hall.

In Jeréz the procession starts at 6pm from el Taller de Fiestas in la calle Muro and finishes at 9.30pm in la Alameda Cristina after having handed out more than 15 tons of sweets. This year the singer David de María will be playing the role of Balthasar.

There will be magic everywhere in each and every town. In Arcos de la Frontera, the “Reyes Magos” will arrive in a convertible at around 3pm and, as in most towns, they will visit hospitals and old people’s homes before parading their “royal” personages down the main streets. At 5pm they will join the “royal” party and the parade will begin and won’t finish until past 11pm.

The streets of Villamartín will fill with excitement as Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar ride through the town in old vintage cars, while in both Zahara de la Sierra and Benaocaz they will arrive on donkeys.

In Puerto Real the “Reyes Magos” will arrive by helicopter, landing on the football ground. During the procession presents will rain down since, besides sweets, they will also be giving away footballs as they pass by.

In Trebujena “los Reyes Magos” will hold court at the Town Hall and give out presents to all the children. In Ubrique, after the procession, they will go from house to house leaving prese