Three Kings Day In Belleville Inspires Smiles, Community Spirit

BELLEVILLE, NJ — An annual Three Kings Day celebration in Belleville returned to the township for 2026, sparking some big smiles and community spirit.

This year’s Three Kings Day event at Belleville High School took place on Jan. 6. It included lights, costumed dancers, floats, music, complementary gifts for more than 300 children, and – of course – camels, which represented the Three Kings’ journey through the desert with gifts.

As the vehicles coasted to the end of the celebration, eager volunteers – including New Jersey Assemblywoman Carmen Morales – passed gifts through car windows to the children. They got a hand from Gianni Cozzarelli, the 2-year-old son of Belleville Councilman Vinny Cozzarelli.

“His favorite part of the whole celebration was helping hand out the gifts, which reminds us that the true spirit behind this event is the joy of giving,” Cozzarelli said.

The holiday – popular in Spain and Latin American countries – has gained a special significance in a town where about half the population is Latino or Hispanic, local officials say.

The celebration has expanded over the past few years to include an appearance from the Befana, an after-Christmas holiday tradition observed in Italy and Italian Americans.

The event is a collaboration between the Township of Belleville, the Belleville Board of Education and several organizations and businesses across the town – many of which donated new toys for the event. Other volunteers from the community gathered the previous week at the Belleville Senior Center to wrap the gifts.

As in previous years, the event was a big hit, local officials said.

“The spirit here each year is wonderful,” said Mayor Michael Melham, who shared video footage from the event.

“You can see it on the faces of the children, and you can see it on the faces of the adults, too,” Melham said.

“It was a beautiful night as always celebrating Belleville’s rich culture with hundreds of families and children,” said Councilman Frank Vélez, who also shared footage from the event.

Belleville Schools Superintendent Erick Alfonso got his first chance to experience the town’s celebration this year – and it didn’t disappoint, he reported.

“The gifts, the music, the smiling faces – this celebration is a beautiful way for the school district to collaborate with the township and connect with the community,” he said.

Prior to this year’s event, Deputy Mayor Naomy De Peña offered a big thumbs-up for the volunteers who came out to help wrap gifts. In a social media post, she wrote that the growing excitement for town’s new tradition has been inspiring.

“What started as an idea is now a Belleville tradition — and that takes leadership, time, energy, and hard work,” De Peña said.

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