HARLINGEN — The city’s signature art and music festival is back.
More than 14 years after its founders pulled down its curtains, city organizers are staging Riofest at Harlingen Field and Lon C. Hill Park.
“This event will showcase the city of Harlingen and the great work our citizens do,” Assistant City Manager Josh Ramirez said Thursday as officials announced the festival’s return at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Organizers are counting on the two-day festival set for Nov. 11 and 12 to draw art and music fans from across the Rio Grande Valley.
“This will inject a lot of tourism,” Ramirez said.
Headliners
On Nov. 11, country music star Mark Fowler, whose hits include “Pound Sign” and “Here’s to You and Me,” will take the Friday night stage following Jenny and the Mexicats, a European band fusing elements of flamenco, jazz, folk and cumbias.
On Nov. 12, the Eli Young Band takes the stage with platinum hits like “Crazy Girl,” for which the band won the Academy of Country Music’s Song of Year in 2012, “Even if it Breaks Your Heart,” “Love Ain’t” and “Drunk Last Night.”
The day’s lineup includes the Banditos, singer-songwriter Alex Coba, local favorites the Garcia Brothers and Tejano sensation Solido, Cassandra Consiglio, director of the Harlingen Convention and Visitors Bureau, said during a press conference.
Art Park
As part of the festival, organizers are working with the Mexican Consulate’s office to bring an “authentic Mexican market” showcasing handcrafted artwork from cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara and Oaxaca, Consiglio said.
The festival will feature Art Park, including performers from the Harlingen school district, she said.
“The Art Park will be filled with art vendors and local artists,” she said. “We will have art-in-motion in the form of sketch artists, pottery and painters.”
Organizers are working with local restaurants “to ensure our food and vendor village is a top-tier experience for our attendees,” Consiglio said.
By Harlingen Field, the Harlingen Professional Firefighters Union will hold its Harlingen Bravest Cook-Off, with the proceeds going to its scholarship fund, she said.
From Nov. 10 to 13, Riofest’s original carnival, Hearts of America Carnival, returns to the festival.
The festival will also feature a 5K run, a petting zoo and a beer garden.
Background
Riofest’s roots go back to 1982, when Kathy Preddy helped organize what became the city’s signature festival showcasing local artists and musicians.
“Thanks so much for carrying on the tradition we worked so hard on,” Preddy, the festival’s former executive director, told city officials as she took the podium during the press conference.
In 2008, Riofest’s founders held their last festival at Lon C. Hill Park.
“You go through transformations,” Preddy said.
