Palma will spend 850,000 euros to completely renovate the Three Kings' Day parade in 2026.

PalmThe Palma City Council announced on Tuesday that it will completely revamp the upcoming Three Kings Parade. It will invest a budget of €847,000, which will be allocated to 22 new floats, costumes, and everything else necessary for this traditional celebration. This was explained by the Councilor for Social Services, Education, Citizen Participation, Youth, and Equality, Lourdes Roca, during the presentation of her department's budget, which took place on Tuesday in the Cort plenary hall. According to the figures provided, the parade's budget increased by €488,000, a 136% increase compared to the previous year, when it cost €359,000. Roca explained that the only elements that will be retained from previous years are the animal figures used in the reception of the pages, and that everything else will be brand new. In the last two years, Palma's Three Kings Parade had recovered a more traditional and religious character than that of the previous legislature The aim, as the councilwoman explained at the time, was to recreate "the spirit of the tradition surrounding the arrival of the Three Wise Men, with a solemn atmosphere." Now the parade is being completely revamped, although the municipal team has not been able to reveal any further details about the artistic direction of the January 2026 parade.

The Patron Saint

Furthermore, Roca explained that the large-scale concert in San Sebastián, which will have a budget of €200,000, has been rescheduled and will now take place during the festivities for the patron saint, Our Lady of Health, in early September. This year's edition, the first of this new festival organized by the City Council, was surrounded by some controversy, especially due to criticism from neighborhood associations and the municipal oppositionwho denounced the privatized nature of the festival and its lack of community involvement.

Local Police Organization Plan

During Tuesday's presentations, Socialist councilwoman Angélica Pastor questioned the feasibility of implementing the new Staff Reorganization Plan, which was endorsed by 90% of participants in the vote held a few weeks ago. Pastor emphasized that the budget presented Tuesday by councilwoman and municipal spokesperson Mercedes Celeste reflects a significant reduction in total spending on basic salaries, bonuses, and social security contributions, suggesting that this plan could be implemented this year, 2026. She noted that officers with greater seniority lack the additional benefits currently granted to them. The Staff Reorganization Plan has generated tension between police unions and the municipal corporation in recent months, although an agreement was recently reached between the parties, culminating in their approval of the proposed plan. Celeste reiterated this Tuesday that the 300 positions promised by Mayor Jaime Martínez at the start of the legislative term will be filled two and a half years after the beginning of the term.

"A rigorous review is not feasible"

Furthermore, MÁS per Palma has not participated in three of the hearings regarding the 2026 budget after the PP governing team, with the support of Vox, "once again imposed a timetable" that makes a rigorous and transparent review of the municipal accounts impossible. According to Neus Truyol, spokesperson for MÉS, "this decision is a further attack on the democratic rights of the municipal groups and, ultimately, on the rights of the citizens of Palma."