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What do the otherwise random numbers of 18,900 and 2,700 and 10 all have in common? They add up to the ongoing popularity and success of the McAllen Holiday Parade.
As the city prepares for its 10th annual procession, McAllen Assistant City Manager and parade Executive Producer Joe Vera attributed volunteerism and a strong sense of civic engagement and pride as to why the parade has grown in participation each year.
This weekend’s parade, which will kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday at the McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, located at 2001 N. Bicentennial Blvd. in McAllen, is no exception.
It will feature 57 floats, 37 balloons and 16 marching bands including the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard. All of the celebrity attendees the parade has seen over the years, including host Mario Lopez and members of the Dallas Cowboys and cheerleaders in addition to telenovela stars, will be returning.
But to put together one of the city’s major events, it takes teams of people to help organize and construct each float, balloon and other festive amenities, according to Vera.
And volunteerism plays a key role.
“The city relies heavily on volunteers to be able to execute all of the events that we do,” Vera said. “There is a lot of planning that goes into the event and many man-hours and then in addition to that, there is also staff coordination that goes into this.”
This year’s parade has taken the efforts of about 2,700 volunteers and participants, putting in a total of about 18,900 hours to prepare for showtime.
“It’s a pretty massive undertaking that goes into the operation and production of the McAllen Holiday Parade,” Vera said with a chuckle.
The number of volunteers is yet another component that emphasizes the parade’s growth over the years, he added.
He recalled the first parade being staffed with only a small court of volunteers, a modest group that has now increased to the thousands.
Attendance has also continued to grow over the years, Vela explained, noting that during the inaugural parade, the city saw a total of about 50,000 people.
There were about 265,000 people who attended in 2021 and around 180,000 in 2022, when it rained nearly throughout the entire event.
Attendance has grown so much over the years that they’ve now added bleachers and grandstands around the parade route to accommodate more people, Vera explained.
For Vera, however, the parade is more than just a holiday spectacle but rather an event that helps bring Christmas magic to the Rio Grande Valley.
“Part of this parade’s purpose was to really enhance the quality of life for our people, to give our children and families that experience and create that magical moment for them,” Vera said, adding that creating the magic and festive feel of the holidays is what motivates participants to continue improving their floats.
“That’s part of what really excites people about really having a nice float or a great balloon.”
Like anybody else, Vera has his favorites he looks forward to seeing every year. And like anybody else, the bigger and shinier the better.
Naturally, the McAllen railroad is tops for him.
“That’s a real show stopper. It’s just a beautiful piece,” Vera said, adding that they are one of the only parades in the county to have a train float.
Work on the floats and balloons continued Friday as participants, some of whom often try to keep their design secret, toiled over last-minute changes and adjustments.
The Monitor caught a sneak peak of some of the floats on Friday morning, with some showing inspiration from the “Barbie” blockbuster film over the summer, and Dallas Cowboys-themed entries (of course).
