By Harry Nara · Last updated
- The eve: the Kings’ night and the toy stallsTuesday 5 January 2027
- Día de Reyes: the rosca is cutWednesday 6 January 2027
- Constitution Day, a public holidayMonday 1 February 2027
- Candelaria: the tamales are owedTuesday 2 February 2027
- Where
- Alameda Central and across Mexico City
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- January to February
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
Fixed dates: the Kings come on the night of Tuesday 5 January and the rosca is cut on Wednesday 6 January 2027. Candelaria is Tuesday 2 February, the day after the Constitution Day holiday on Monday 1 February. Neither 6 January nor 2 February is itself a public holiday.
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Día de Reyes, Epiphany, is when Mexican children traditionally get their presents from the Three Kings. On the eve, toy and balloon stalls fill the streets around the Alameda Central; on the day, every family, office and school cuts a rosca de reyes, a ring of sweet bread with small figures of the baby Jesus baked inside. Whoever finds one owes everyone tamales and atole on Candelaria, a month later. Neither day is a public holiday, but in recent years the city government has served a giant free rosca, and the Feria del Tamal in Coyoacán leads up to Candelaria.
What Día de Reyes actually is
In Mexico the Three Kings, rather than Father Christmas, have long brought children their presents, arriving overnight on the eve of Epiphany. Children write letters and leave their shoes out, parents spend that evening at the toy stalls, and the next morning is for unwrapping.
The rosca is the day’s cake: a ring of sweet bread decorated with strips of candied fruit, the jewels on the Kings’ crowns, cut by everyone at the table in turn. Hidden inside are one or more small figures of the baby Jesus. Find one in your slice and, by custom, you host the next gathering: tamales and atole for everyone on Candelaria.
Candelaria, forty days after Christmas, is when families take their figures of the Christ child to church to be blessed, dressed in new clothes, and then sit down to the tamales. The Secretaría de Cultura traces the meal to pre-Hispanic offerings made as the planting season began, which is why corn sits at the centre of a Christian feast.
Where to find it
- The Alameda Central on the eve. The Christmas romería, a market of toy and balloon stalls, runs along the park and Avenida Hidalgo, and photographers set up painted backdrops for pictures with costumed Kings. It is busiest on the last night, when families come out for the presents.
- The city’s giant rosca. In recent years the city government has served a rosca hundreds of metres long at a central landmark around Reyes, free with a hot drink, and handed out toys at sites across the city. The place and time are announced a few days before.
- The Feria del Tamal in Coyoacán. The Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares has held a tamal fair for more than thirty years in the days before Candelaria, with makers from across Mexico and Latin America. Entry is free and you pay for what you eat.
Tickets and what it costs
None of it is ticketed. Buy a rosca from a bakery a day early if you want a good one, because the queues on the morning of Reyes stretch down the block; sizes run from one for a family to one for an office.
At Candelaria the tamal carts that work the streets at dawn are busier than ever, and the fair in Coyoacán is where to try regional styles a corner cart will not have. Bring cash.
Official information and booking: www.gob.mx/cultura/prensa/el-tamal-alimento-protagonista-en-la-fiesta-de-la-candelaria-y-el-inicio-del-ciclo-agricola
Getting there
For the Alameda, use Bellas Artes or Hidalgo on the Metro. The Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares is in the centre of Coyoacán, a short walk from its main square.
Early January is the cold heart of the dry season: sunny afternoons and nights around 8°C, and the eve of Reyes is spent outdoors late. Bring a warm layer.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Leaving the rosca to the last minute
Good bakeries sell out on the morning of Reyes. Order one or buy it the day before.
Biting straight into a slice
The figures are small and hard. Cut slices carefully, above all for children.
Expecting a day off
Neither Reyes nor Candelaria is a public holiday. Offices, banks and shops keep their usual hours.
Arriving late at the giant rosca
The free portions run out. Be there when the serving starts.
Other Mexico City events
Frequently asked questions
When is Día de Reyes in Mexico?
The Kings come on the night before Epiphany and the rosca is cut on the day itself; the dates card above shows this year’s, with Candelaria.
What happens if you find the baby in the rosca de reyes?
By custom you host the next gathering: tamales and atole for everyone on Candelaria, a month later.
Is Día de Reyes a public holiday in Mexico?
No. Offices, banks and shops keep their usual hours, and families celebrate in the evening and over the rosca.
Where can I see Día de Reyes in Mexico City?
At the toy stalls along the Alameda Central on the eve, at the city’s free giant rosca if it is held, and in the queue at any good bakery that morning.
What is the Feria del Tamal?
A free-entry tamal fair at the Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares in Coyoacán, held in the days before Candelaria with makers from across Mexico and Latin America.
Sources
- Secretaría de Cultura, the tamal and Candelaria (Spanish)
- Secretaría de Cultura, the Feria del Tamal (Spanish)
- Excélsior, the Kings in the Alameda Central (Spanish)
- El Financiero, the city’s giant rosca in a recent year (Spanish)
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2028. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.