Centro Hispano of Dane County traditionally hosts its Tres Reyes Magos celebration on the Friday closest to Jan. 6. It is an important and long-standing free community event that usually sees more than 500 children and their families come through Centro’s headquarters on Madison’s south side to enjoy traditional festivities like eating roscas, face painting, photos with the Three Kings and a free gift for every child to leave with.
“For families we serve, the Tres Reyes Magos event means a lot,” Centro Hispano Executive Director Karen Menendez Coller told Madison365 in a previous article on the Tres Reyes celebration. “Many kids in the community look forward to celebrating Reyes Magos even more than Santa. It’s a very strong tradition for the Latino community here.”
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tres Reyes Magos will be a delivery event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 18,10 a.m.-noon. Parents can sign up children ages 12 years and younger to receive a free gift bag that includes a new toy.
This year’s event is being held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and his legacy of service, Centro Hispano said in a press release, quoting Dr. King who once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Although Centro initially planned to host a drive-thru event this year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the agency has since shifted to a delivery model out of concern that a Drive Thru event would put families at increased risk of exposure to COVID as well as to make the event accessible to all children, regardless of their transportation status. Families can sign up their children to have a gift delivered to them starting on Wednesday, January 13, 8 p.m., through Centro’s Facebook page.
