Girona Christmas parade organizers defend blackface practices after 'terribly unfair' criticism

Organizers of the Three Kings' Parade in Girona have hit back at what they see as "terribly unfair" criticism of their blackface practices.

In Catalonia each festive season, a parade is held on the night of January 5, when the Three Wise Men arrive to deliver presents to children up and down the land. King Balthazar and his entourage are often played by white actors with skin painted black, a practice known as 'blackface' that is widely denounced as racist.

The president of the organizing committee of Girona's parade, Xavier Serra, says that they have worked so that "sooner rather than later," Balthazar and his entire entourage will be made up entirely of Black people.

This year, there are 85 people in the group, 33 of whom will be Black this year. He says that even though the practive is "widely accepted," they don't close the door to rethinking the model of the parade, but he refuses to do it "on command," following criticism and a protest by the Cacau i Negritud Collective.

Earlier this month, the group publicly denounced that King Balthazar's entourage will include white people painted black, a practice they say is "racist" and with origins "rooted in mockery and discrimination."

Serra calls this "uninformed criticism," but acknowledges they have not been able to completely overcome it.

At the presentation of the 2026 parade, Serra outlined that it is false that there is "no will" on the part of the organizers to accept Black people in the royal entourage.

He pointed out that since he has been president of the organizers, "all the Balthazar kings" have been of African descent, and even, on occasion, women, and says the Girona 'Cavalcada' is characterized by its "equal, inclusive and citizen-oriented" nature.

The organizing committee and the city council are working so that "sooner rather than later," the entire entourage of Balthazar will be made up of Black people, but he also says that the Cacau i Negritud Collective social rights group have not shown them "willingness to collaborate."

Protest

Earlier in December, the Cacau i Negritud collective held a protest to demand that the Girona city council ensure that there are no people painted black in the Kings Parade.

The collective filed a complaint with an anti-discrimination office, criticizing that "white people would once again be painted to caricature Black people."

The complaint was supported by more than 80 people and 15 entities, citing it that it is a "racist" practice "rooted in mockery and discrimination."

One of its members, Aliou Diallo, told the Catalan News Agency that "Blackness is not a costume," and demanded commitment from the city council on the matter.

"They can paint them as unicorns if they want, but not black," he said, referring to Balthazar's entourage.

For him, maintaining the blackface practice in an "institutional and festive" event such as the Christmas parade "reinforces racist stereotypes and sends a message of exclusion."