In honor of the Three Kings Day holiday on January 6th, The Osceola Chamber celebrated our 20th annual Three Kings Day Osceola event at Old Town on Sunday, January 5th. 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.
On the Feast of the Three Kings, the Three Kings visited the newly born baby Jesus in Bethlehem and brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This tradition is repeated and reflected in present day with the belief that on this evening the Three Kings will visit every child and leave them presents. If a child has been good for the past year they will receive toys, but if the child has been naughty, they will instead find a lump of dirt or charcoal. Excited children leave grass as a snack for the Kings’ camels before they go to bed.
The celebration of the visit from the Three Kings dates back even further than that of Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve, and for twenty years The Osceola Chamber has brought this tradition to life right here in Osceola County with our annual Three Kings Day Osceola event. Each year, in the spirit of gift giving embodied by the Three Kings, The Osceola Chamber’s Three Kings Day celebration includes toy giveaways, bicycle and tablet raffles, business vendors, snow cones and hot dogs, goody bags, live music, and more.
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, 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 was presented this year by our friends at AdventHealth, and was brought to you by Florida Technical College, Kissimmee Utility Authority, ABC Paving & Sealcoating, Florida Blue, Valencia College, Toho Water Authority, Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resorts, and SeaWorld Orlando. Our mission at the Chamber is to be “champions for business and the Osceola community," and they are the champions in our community who make this event, this visit from the Kings, and all of the day’s festivities possible.
Presenting sponsor AdventHealth’s booth included a "create-your-0wn crown activity. Also, 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!
As we celebrate the holiday season, a fantastic 2024, and the dawn of 2025, we wish a year of health, happiness, success, and adventure for our members. We thank you for your many contributions this past year as part of our Chamber family. Whether you attended an event, served on a board, volunteered as an Ambassador, or participated in a Leads Group, we truly value the time and energy you gave us. YOU are the reason we are a 5-Star Accredited Chamber and three-time Chamber of the Year!
We look forward to 2025 – a year of milestones for us at the Chamber – and we begin the new year with plenty to keep our members and community busy and engaged. Be sure to nominate your friends and colleagues for the Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award and Guillermo Hansen Unity Award by January 3rd. Then, make sure you secure your tables or individual tickets for our 100th Annual Meeting on February 8 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
But first, we hope to see you this Sunday, January 5, as a vendor or visitor, at our Three Kings Day event at Old Town, presented by AdventHealth. We will be there 10:00 am to 2:00 pm to celebrate heritage and tradition and create a fun, family atmosphere for our community.
The Osceola Chamber will host our 100th Annual Meeting on February 8, 2025 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Every year at this event, attendees look forward to learning who will take home our major awards, including the Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award and the Guillermo Hansen Unity Award. We are now accepting applications for both awards through January 3, 2025.
Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award Nomination Form
The Linda Goodwin-Nichols Service Award is named after Linda Goodwin-Nichols of Goodwin Realty & Associates, two-time Chairman of The Osceola Chamber Board of Directors and a stalwart of Osceola’s Business Community for over 40 years. Throughout her career, Linda has epitomized community involvement and giving back selflessly, and this award honors an individual who will carry on her legacy. Recent past winners include Kelly Trace, Larry Walter, and Rev. Mary Downey. Click on the link above to nominate deserving individuals for this award.
Guillermo Hansen Unity Award Nomination Form
To recognize the importance of the Chamber’s core values of “Embracing Heritage,” “Creating Opportunity,” and “Building Unity,” and our partners who promote them, in January of 2018 Chairman Tim Finkenbinder announced the creation of an award to emphasize these values – particularly “Building Unity.” In 2024 the award was renamed the "Guillermo Hansen Unity Award" to honor inaugural winner Guillermo "Bill" Hansen, owner and editor of El Osceola Star Newspaper. Guillermo was a longtime Chamber member who was also a community leader known for building bridges among the diverse populations of Osceola County. Click below to nominate deserving individuals for this award.
Nominees will receive an application to complete and winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. The top three finalists will be announced ahead of The Osceola Chamber’s Annual Meeting on February 8, 2025 and the award recipient will be revealed at the event.
