Details unveiled in 130-day countdown to 4th annual event
Texas Border Business
(McAllen, TX – July 31, 2017) While the temperatures outside are sizzling, the City of McAllen already has visions of gumdrops with a Christmas in July announcement, as today, it unveiled the theme for the 2017 McAllen Holiday Parade, the largest illuminated and helium-balloon holiday parade in the state of Texas.
This year’s theme: ”The Magic of Christmas.”
“We wanted to create a theme that speaks to the heart for every person, young and old and everyone in between,” said City of McAllen Mayor Jim Darling. “We look forward to the entire community of attendees from the Rio Grande Valley, as well as the rest of Texas and Mexico, to come experience and share that magic with us.”
The theme logo features the familiar Santa Claus balloon and palm trees, flanked by a Christmas wreath with elements that are evocative of the holiday. However, organizers believe the theme will best be expressed by each and every person. Look for contests with sponsors and the McAllen Holiday Parade to be featured on social media sites to promote the question: “What does the magic of Christmas mean to you?”
Aside from a new theme, the McAllen Holiday Parade is also sporting some new hardware, as it picked up several new awards to add to its list of state and international awards. This past Saturday, the Texas Festivals and Events Association recognized the McAllen Holiday Parade with 27 Gold Awards, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze in various entries in its budget category, coordinated, developed and executed by the City of McAllen Office of Communications. In fact, the McAllen Holiday Parade was awarded the Best Parade, as well as winning for various publicity and promotional elements for the public and for sponsors, including best social media site, best public relations kit and media relations and of course, the award-winning broadcast.
“I am so proud of how creative our staff is in promoting and publicizing the McAllen Holiday Parade, and just as importantly, the entire team who coordinates and organizes every element of the parade,” said Assistant City Manager Joe Vera, who spearheads the event for the organization. “This is truly a team effort to win all of these awards, because ultimately, the goal of the McAllen Holiday Parade is to create an experience for the entire community to remember through Christmas traditions and memories that will last a lifetime for everyone who gets to see the parade.”
Indeed, traditions and memories are just a part of the reason why the City of McAllen is committed to hosting this event. Aside from creating a signature destination event in the Rio Grande Valley, that promotes tourism and shopping in McAllen, even event organizers point to the value the parade has for the community. Last year, the McAllen Holiday Parade had an economic impact of $13 million for McAllen, with over 250,000 parade attendees viewing the parade live and another 1.5 million who viewed the parade on television over six networks across South Texas and North Mexico.
Organizers hope to get everyone in the Christmas spirit starting now and are asking the community to submit photos of last year’s parade as they begin their search for the best pics taken at the parade. Winning entries may be featured in various advertising and promotional elements. E-mail pictures to ldgarcia@mcallen.net. Additionally, social media users are encouraged to start hashtagging the McAllen Holiday Parade with #MHP2017, #ChristmasinMcAllen, #NavidadenMcAllen.
The McAllen Holiday Parade will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2017, starting at 6:00 p.m. at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, located at 2001 N. Bicentennial Boulevard, where the parade starts and where premium seating is available. The 1.5 mile long parade features over 50 illuminated floats, more than 30 Macy’s-style helium balloons, an international array of celebrities of TV, film and music and countless bands from throughout the region and free seating on a first-come, first-serve basis as it winds down Bicentennial.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available and interested businesses can contact Aida Moreno, Corporate Relations Manager for the City of McAllen at (956) 681-1017 or via e-mail at amoreno@mcallen.net. Look for more announcements on the parade in the next few months, including sponsors, media partners stars, promotions and special features new to this year’s event.
