Who found the baby in the rosca? Everyone sees it on the screen.

Three Kings Day (Día de Reyes, the Epiphany) is celebrated on 6 January and marks the visit of the three Magi — Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar — to the infant Jesus. On the night of 5 January children leave out their shoes, often with grass or hay for the kings' camels, and wake to gifts. In 2027, Three Kings Day falls on Wednesday 6 January.

The centre of the party is the rosca de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread decorated with candied fruit and hiding one or more small figurines of the Baby Jesus. In the Mexican tradition, whoever finds one in their slice hosts — or brings the tamales — on Día de la Candelaria, 2 February. In Spain the roscón de Reyes hides a figurine and a dried bean, and whoever gets the bean pays for the roscón.

A Three Kings Day photo wall is a live screen — a TV at home, a projector in a school or church hall — that guests post photos and messages to by scanning a QR code with their phone. On QR Wall it needs no app and each post appears in about a second, so the rosca, the kids and the Kings end up on one screen.

10 Three Kings Day party ideas

Three Kings Day party ideas work best around the traditions themselves: the shoes left out the night before, the rosca and its figurine, a visit from the Kings, and something warm to drink. These suit a family of 10, a classroom of 30 or an office of 100.

1. Cut the rosca together

   Gather everyone, give each guest their own cut, and do it slowly — part of the fun is guessing where the figurines are. A large rosca serves 20 to 25; order one per 20 guests and ask the bakery how many figurines are inside.

2. Keep a list of who found the baby

   Whoever finds a figurine owes the tamales on Candelaria, 2 February. Write the names on a card — or post the photo of each finder to the wall — so nobody forgets.

3. Hot chocolate or atole

   Mexican hot chocolate or champurrado (chocolate atole) is the classic drink with rosca. Set up a pot and cups; it's what keeps people at the table.

4. Shoes and grass for the camels

   On the evening of 5 January, help the kids put their shoes by the door or a box of grass under the bed for the camels. Ask families to post a photo of the shoes, then of the gifts in the morning.

5. Letters to the Kings

   Before the party, children write a letter to the Kings. At a school or church celebration, collect them in a box with the Kings' names on it.

6. A visit from the Three Kings

   Three volunteers in robes and crowns — Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar — arriving with small gifts for the children is the photo every parent takes. Have them stop at the screen so the kids see themselves on it.

7. A Reyes parade, the Spanish way

   In Spain the cabalgata, a parade of the Kings, runs through the streets on the evening of 5 January, throwing sweets to the crowd. A school or community can do a small version: a walk around the block with music.

8. Partir la rosca at the office

   In Mexico many workplaces cut a rosca on or around 6 January. It's a short, low-cost office celebration — 30 minutes, coffee and rosca — and whoever finds the figurine brings tamales for the team in February.

9. Crown-making for the kids

   Gold card, stick-on jewels and glue: everyone leaves as a king or queen. It keeps a classroom busy for 20 minutes.

10. A live photo wall on the screen

    Open a wall on the TV and let guests post from their phones: the rosca, the finder's face, the kids in their crowns. Grandparents in another country post through the same link and appear on your screen that day.

The end of the season, and the evidence for Candelaria

Three Kings Day closes the Christmas season for millions of families, and it is often the gathering that brings everyone together one last time after the holidays — the cousins, the godparents, the neighbours. The rosca is the moment the whole room watches, and it is gone in ten minutes.

A wall keeps it. Every photo from every phone lands on the screen while the rosca is still being cut, and the next day they are all in one gallery — including the one of whoever found the baby, which will matter on 2 February.

Live wall, group chat or shared album

Where Three Kings Day photos usually end up.

Three Kings Day questions

Dates, traditions and what hosts ask before putting a live screen up.

When is Three Kings Day 2027?

Three Kings Day (Día de Reyes) is on 6 January every year; in 2027 that is a Wednesday. Children leave out their shoes on the night of Tuesday 5 January. Families who celebrate with a party often hold it on the nearest weekend, Saturday 2 or Saturday 9 January.

What happens if you find the baby in the rosca de reyes?

In the Mexican tradition, whoever finds a Baby Jesus figurine in their slice of rosca hosts a gathering — or brings the tamales — on Día de la Candelaria, 2 February. In Spain's roscón de Reyes, whoever gets the hidden dried bean pays for the roscón.

What are good Three Kings Day party ideas?

Good Three Kings Day party ideas include cutting the rosca together and keeping a list of who found the figurine, hot chocolate or champurrado, helping children leave their shoes and grass for the camels on the night of 5 January, letters to the Kings, a visit from three volunteers dressed as Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, a small Reyes parade, crown-making for kids, and a shared rosca at the office. A live photo wall puts everyone's photos on one screen.

How do I set up a photo wall for a Three Kings Day party?

Create a wall at qrwall.live and open the display link on a TV or projector. Guests scan the QR code on the screen with their phone camera — no app — and their photos and messages appear in about a second. For a school, church or office, Professional adds an approval queue.