Polar Express and road closures to get attendees to event safely, efficiently
Last week at a press conference held at parade sponsor South Texas Vocational Technical Institute, MHP organizers announced details of road closures and the McAllen Holiday Parade Polar Express, the day-long free park & ride shuttle that is being provided by Metro McAllen on parade day, to help ensure the safety of the anticipated 265,000-plus parade attendees, as well as the 1,500 parade participants and volunteers. Additionally, organizers unveiled a surprise mystery guest who will attend the parade, as well.
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 Sat., Dec. 7, 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 Park & Ride Polar Express Shuttle will run until 12:00 a.m. Wheelchairs, walkers and strollers are welcome, as are service dogs. Both parking and the ride are free for everyone throughout the day.
Organizers are reminding parade attendees that there will be multiple road closures around McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, the site of the parade step-off, beginning at noon the day before the parade, on Fri., Dec. 6 and continuing throughout the day on Sat., Dec. 7. These road closures are designed to help parade participants arrive at the staging area safely and to avoid traffic congestion or accidents as hundreds of thousands of spectators make their way to the parade viewing area.
“As the largest single day attendance event in the Rio Grande Valley, it is our priority to make sure that everyone arrives safely and on time to see the McAllen Holiday Parade,” said Joe Vera, McAllen Assistant City Manager and Executive Producer of the event. “We ask everyone to take note of the road closures, pay attention to barriers and pedestrians and to take advantage of the free Polar Express that will get everyone to the parade site quickly and safely. Thanks to the many law enforcement partners who will be assisting with traffic control and other security details, we want to make sure that everyone has a fun and safe time at the parade,” concluded Vera.
A beloved, adorable character from the hit TV show “Cocomelon” will be one of the celebrities in attendance at the parade – and the community gets to guess who it is! Head to McAllen Holiday Parade social media platforms to guess which character will be at the parade and correct answers will be entered into a raffle for a chance to meet the surprise mystery guest.
Anyone wishing to participate in the parade as a volunteer still has time to sign up as balloon handlers or banner carriers. 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. Learn more by visiting Las Palmas Community Center located at 1921 N 25th Street or calling Las Palmas at 681-3350.
Organizers are also reminding anyone throughout the Rio Grande Valley that the call for entries for the McAllen Holiday Shoebox Parade is open and the deadline to enter is fast approaching. Entries must be on a shoebox, and can include any type of arts & crafts, toys, holiday decorations, lights or countless elements to celebrate “Noche Magica,” the theme of both the shoebox and the big parade. Entries are due no later than Wed., Nov. 27, 2024 by 12:00 p.m. to the City of McAllen Office of Communications, McAllen City Hall, 1300 W. Houston Ave., 3rd Floor. For more information, visit www.mcallen.net.
Before the McAllen Holiday Parade steps off at 6:00 p.m. from McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sat., Dec. 7, 2024, the community is invited to enjoy Christmas in the Park which starts its celebration with the carnival on Thurs., Dec. 5, 2024, from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Municipal Park, located at 1921 Bicentennial Boulevard. The full-fledged free, fun, family-friendly Christmas festival kicks off the next day and aside from the carnival, features food, fun, vendors, arts & crafts, concerts and entertainment for the whole family.
Bands on Friday night include Gatos Locos, the Texas Storm Band, Grupo Retono, and Grupo Inevitable. On Saturday, the activities start at 12:00 p.m. and that night, bands include the Eros and the Drifters, The Brody Rivers Band, Vinyl Spin, and Southern Ashes. Then, right after the parade, enjoy concerts from the Ybarra Boyz and Pedro Garcia El Gran Mariachi. Community dance groups and performances will be presented throughout the day, as well as games and other activities.
Other celebrities in attendance at this year’s presentation of the event include Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Champions and Pro Bowlers Russel Maryland and Erik Williams, joining already announced Dallas Cowboys Legends Tony Hill and Tony Tolbert and current player and fan favorite DeMarcus Lawrence. Additionally, thanks to the Dr. Raul Peña and Peña Eye Institute, the Dallas Cowboys‘ fan experience for this year will once again include the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Rowdy, the Dallas Cowboys mascot.
Celebrity hosts Mario Lopez and Linda Tovar will make their return appearance for the English rebroadcast of the parade and international star Julian Gil for the Spanish-language rebroadcast. The McAllen Holiday Parade airs on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the top 33 U.S. Hispanic markets, while airing live locally on every network. Tickets for the parade are already on sale and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at just $10, for either reserved seating in stadium or various zones along the route, including from various community organizations selling reserved chair seating. Act quickly, as reserved seating is expected to sell out! There is also plenty of free, first come, first serve seating along the route, as well.
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 of the McAllen Holiday Parade include University of Texas RGV; Lone Star Ambulance; J Gonzalez Injury Attorneys; Budweiser-L&F Distributors; McAllen International Bridge System; McAllen Public Utility; Metro McAllen; South Texas Vo-Tech; PepsiCo.; Matt’s Building Materials; 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/McAllen Recycling Center; Explore McAllen; McAllen Shines; IBC; Rhodes Enterprise & Esperanza Homes; Lacks; McAllen Chamber of Commerce; Hermes; McAllen I.S.D.; Linebarger Attorney at Law; South Texas I.S.D.; General Mills; PNC Bank; O’Reilly Auto Parts; Pollux Castor Creative; McAllen Economic Development Corp.; Peña Eye Institute; KSA Engineers; Plains Capital Bank; Carollo Engineers; Palenque Group; Halff Associates; B2Z Engineering; City of Puerto Vallarta; Raba Kistner Consultants, Inc., Diocese of Brownsville; SpawGlass; Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics. Media partners for the parade include Nexstar CBS4-NBC23; iHeart Radio; Radio United; Latino Media Network; MyRGV.com; Revista Expresión; El Periodico U.S.A.; Advance News; Lamar; Más Music; Noticias RGV 5.2; Entravision; KRGV Channel 5; TV Azteca; Telemundo 40; SOCIALIFE Magazine.
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