In honor of the Three Kings Day holiday on January 6th, The Osceola Chamber celebrated our annual Three Kings Day Osceola event at Old Town on Sunday, January 7th. Three Kings Day, or The Epiphany, is celebrated in many countries around the world. In much of Latin America, Three Kings Day, or Día de los Reyes, recognizes the Three Wise Men, or Kings, as they brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus. In many Latin American cultures, children anticipate Three Kings Day – and the gifts and treats it will bring – just as much as, or more than, Christmas.
This year, our Three Kings Day celebration began on January 3 when the Kings themselves joined Chamber President and CEO John Newstreet, Special Events Director Paola Parra, and some of our Chamber Ambassadors at Old Town for a press conference to announce their official arrival in Osceola County. Members of the press were there to help us welcome the Kings and share the event with our community.
A major staple of the Chamber’s Three Kings Day event is free giveaways and experiences for the whole family that help extend the spirit of giving of the holiday season. This past Sunday, The Osceola Chamber’s Three Kings Day celebration included toy giveaways; raffles for bicycles, tablets, and Osceola Magic tickets; business vendors; free hot dogs, popcorn, Gatorade, and snow cones; live music; free printed photos with the Three Kings; and more.
Each year free toy giveaways for all children 12 and under are made possible by toy donations from Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort. The Orlando/Osceola Magic also supply hundreds of basketballs. The Disney VoluntEARS and UO Volunteers also come out to Old Town on event day each year to aid the Chamber Ambassadors and staff. Hot dogs were donated by Florida Technical College, prepped by the Masons, and grilled on-site by the Knights of Columbus, making them a true group effort. Thanks to a donation from Pepsico – Gatorade, attendees also received free bottles of Gatorade. This year, popcorn and snow cones rounded out the snacks for the day.
Each child also received a raffle ticket for almost 60 bikes and tablets that were raffled throughout the day. The Osceola Magic also supplied some tickets for other lucky raffle winners. Raffle winners claimed their prizes at Old Town’s main stage, where the crowd was entertained by emcees from Exitos 96.5 and Osceola’s own Bethzaida Garcia in between performance sets from Venezuela’s Luifer Chacazo and Puerto Rico’s Ricado Azorcar.
Three Kings Day Osceola 2024 was sponsored by AdventHealth, Florida Technical College, Reunion Resort, Kissimmee Utility Authority, ABC Paving & Sealcoating, Tompkins Family Foundation, Miracle Toyota, Florida Blue, Valencia College, SkyWater Technology, Toho Water Authority, Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resorts, and the Osceola Magic.
Presenting sponsor AdventHealth’s booth included a coloring station for kids to create their own pictures of the Three Kings, a 360 photo booth, and lots of giveaways. Other business booths brought their own games and raffles. Gatorland had a gator available for photo opps, and KUA brought their mascot Sparky and their brand new 2024 calendars.
The Three Kings themselves were portrayed by elected officials and other members of our business community. They posed for photos with kids and families that were captured on RTW Photography‘s photo booth as a nice take-home souvenir.
Find some images of our Three Kings Day fun in the galleries below, and thank you to all who attended, sponsored, volunteered, performed, or helped us publicize the event!
Meet Our Sponsors & Memorable Moments
Christina was raised in St. Cloud and holds degrees from the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida. She joined the Chamber in April 2015. As Director of Administration, she manages the Area Council’s events, sub-committee meetings, projects, and board engagements.
