Award-winning volunteer program provides best view of parade, offers unlimited smiles
Organizers are inviting the community, including students, church groups, non-profit organizations, civic agencies or just families and friends, to sign up to be one of hundreds of banner carriers and balloon handlers throughout the 1.5-mile parade route of the McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B and powered by Bert Ogden Auto Group, when it steps off tomorrow, Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. from McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, located at 2001 N. Bicentennial Blvd.
“The award-winning volunteer program for the McAllen Holiday Parade is truly a remarkable and magical experience for participants,” said McAllen Asst. City Manager Joe Vera. “They will enjoy the thrill and excitement of all of the hundreds of thousands of parade spectators, while also helping to bring the Best Parade in the World to the streets of McAllen. Volunteers who continue returning to be a part of the parade always talk about the extraordinary holiday spirit and absolute joy they feel when walking along the parade route.”
Volunteers can light up the parade by holding one of over 100 lighted banners that walk just in front of the floats, balloons or bands. Balloon handler volunteers must be 18 years or over, while banner carriers must be 16 years or over. All volunteers must go through a background check and will receive gloves, t-shirt and snacks. Volunteers will wear a McAllen Holiday Parade sponsor shirt and can sign up today at pardvolunteers@mcallen.net.
Ticket prices for the parade start at $10, plus service fees for stadium, SPI Vuelta Zone, and McAllen International Airport Skybox Zone seating for the parade and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. There is also plenty of free seating along the parade route, on a first come basis.
Getting the family to the parade will not be difficult, as the City of McAllen, in partnership with South Texas College, will offer a FREE McAllen Holiday Parade Park & Ride Polar Express Shuttle from the STC campus on Pecan Boulevard and 29th St. to the Quince Avenue and 23rd Street parade Drop-Off/Pick-Up point. Starting at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, Metro McAllen trolleys and buses will make a continuous loop approximately every 15 minutes, from pick-off point at STC to the parade Drop-Off/Pick-Up point.
The McAllen Holiday Parade is presented by H-E-B and powered by Bert Ogden Auto Group and proudly sponsored by McAllen International Airport, South Padre Island CVB, Reliant and Lone Star National Bank. Other sponsors for the 2023 presentation of the McAllen Holiday Parade include Budweiser-L&F Distributors, McAllen International Bridge System; McAllen Public Utility; Metro McAllen; South Texas Vo-Tech; University of Texas RGV; Matt’s Building Materials; PepsiCo.; Valley Aids Council; South Texas College; McDonald’s; Driscoll Children’s Hospital; Chick-fil-A Rio Grande Valley; American Electric Power Foundation; McAllen Public Works; IBC; Lacks; McAllen Chamber of Commerce; Hermes; Peña Eye Institute; McAllen I.S.D.; Linebarger Attorneys at Law; General Mills; PNC Bank; O’Reilly Auto Parts; McAllen Economic Development Corp.; Doña Lula; Tres Lagos Master Planned Community; Pollux Castor Creative; Explore McAllen; KSA Engineers; Cigna; Plains Capital Bank; Taco Palenque; Halff Associates; B2Z Engineering; Raba Kistner Consultants, Inc. Media partners for the parade include Advance News; AIM Media; El Periodico; iHeart Radio; KNVO-Univision; KRGV-ABC; KTLM-Telemundo; Lamar Outdoor; Latino Media Network; Más Music; Nexstar 23&4; Radio United; Revista Expresión.
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