Less of a touch down and more of a let down. That was the arrival of the Three Kings in Los Cristianos for Reyes Eve, 5th January. For the first time it was announced that they would arrive at the Cultural Centre by helicopter, a method used for many years by Santa Cruz, and Adeje, with their football grounds as the destination. An expectant crowd were drawn like a magnet for the 6 pm arrival. The Helidreams helicopter circled twice, the second time it flew on over the roof and into the distance, just as a spotlight picked out the waving kings on the centre’s rooftop balcony. They might as well have said they were on board a passing tourist plane heading into the south airport.

However, the other changes to the evening’s programme were much better received. The host at the Cultural Centre did her best to build the excitement among the estimated 20,000 fans who were focused on the stage and giant screen. Grabbing the waiting camels, Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltasar led the parade towards and around the church plaza, and along Avenida de Suecia. This was the opposite direction to previous years and allowed Arona council’s hard working staff to dismantle the stage and crowd barriers near the main crossroads of town, and to get the traffic flowing again. Cartoon and comic characters (Disney and Marvel) dominated but there were plenty of lovingly created costumes, and the happy sound of music. Sweets cascaded down as the kings showered their followers, balconies and upper windows were packed.

The end destination this year was a stage outside the Casa del Mar, in the open area between the old beach and the tunnel to Las Vistas beach. Thankfully the chilly gusting wind subsided so the long queues could snake their way through to each of the kings as the lucky children were called up to receive their presents. Several shops in the run up to Reyes offer a service to have gifts wrapped and added to the lockers of the kings to delight the children on the night. Normally these presentations would take place on the steps of the Cultural Centre, the new site seemed more exclusive to those involved, without curious passers by.

There´s no diluting the joy and excitement on the faces of children and parents as they unwrap their big night of the year. It was good that they tried something different to shake things up this year, maybe next time the helicopter will land, even if it´s nearby and relayed on the big screen. The earlier start will have been greatly appreciated by parents, and the boom in trade around local bars and restaurants had the tills singing a merry tune.