Nearly two million people are expected to take to the streets on Tuesday for one of Europe’s largest Catholic public celebrations, as the Three Kings Procession marks the Feast of the Epiphany in 941 cities and towns across the country.
The annual event, known in Polish as Orszak Trzech Króli, features participants dressed as biblical figures, wearing paper crowns, and singing Christmas carols as they follow representations of the Magi to nativity displays in public squares.
According to Vatican News, in 2025 an estimated two million people participated in processions across 905 locations in Poland and abroad.
The president of the Three Kings Procession Foundation, Piotr Giertych, said organizers prepared 600,000 crowns, 150,000 songbooks with Christian carols, and 200,000 stickers. About 50,000 participants marched in Warsaw alone in 2025.
The inaugural Three Kings street procession was held in Warsaw in 2009, growing out of a nativity play staged by students at a local school. After Epiphany was recognized as a national holiday in Poland in 2011, the event expanded steadily, eventually reaching cities and towns nationwide.
This year’s theme, “Rejoice in Hope,” reflects the Church’s Jubilee Year motto, “Pilgrims of Hope,” which comes to an end on Tuesday.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki and First Lady Marta Nawrocki issued a message to those taking part in the processions, highlighting a call for reconciliation.
The presidential couple said they hoped the image of the three kings—who persevered through difficulties in pursuit of peace and reconciliation—would inspire people to build relationships founded on solidarity, understanding, and respect.
The ceremonial procession blends Poland’s traditional nativity plays and caroling with influences from Epiphany parades in Spain and Mexico. In Warsaw, the parade starts at the Copernicus Monument and makes its way along Krakowskie Przedmieście to Castle Square, where participants join in singing carols in the heart of the city.