Edinburg’s opening of its new Arts & Cultural Events Center marks a new commitment by the community to build upon its “city of festivals” designation.
The 36,000-square-foot facility was opened with much fanfare in late 2024. Having such a downtown-area venue to host art exhibits, live performances and community events has long been a dream for Edinburg leaders active in local arts. The Edinburg Arts & Cultural Center is located on McIntyre Street near City Hall. It fronts a Promenade Park that is the site of numerous street festivals and events. An amphitheater opened in recent years just down the street from the new center and has added a new element to community life.
The ACE, as Edinburg leaders call the new facility, will serve as an administrative hub for a wing of city government dedicated to arts and cultural events. Beyond the planning and coordinating of events, the ACE is envisioned as a living embodiment of the arts in Edinburg with dance and art classes and discussions about film making and theater.
“This is a place where we’re going,” said Letty Leija, the director of library and cultural arts in Edinburg. “It’s not just a building but a center for learning. Emerging artists will come here to learn new skills. For the community, it’s a place where they’re going to come and celebrate the arts.”
Highlights City
The $15 million facility is located amidst one of Edinburg’s more historic sections of town.
It sits on the site of what for decades was Sam Houston Elementary School, which was one of the city’s first schools. Across from the ACE is the original site of Edinburg Junior School, the forerunner to Pan American University and today’s UT-Rio Grande Valley. A 1920s-era auditorium that was one of the original junior college buildings still stands today and is used for various community events.
In today’s Edinburg, the city’s population has surged beyond 100,000 residents. It’s among the fastest-growing cities of its size in the United States. The city’s mayor, Ramiro Garza, has said Edinburg must go beyond brick-and-mortar development and infrastructure upgrades and provide quality-of-life aspects and things to do in town. The numerous monthly festivals that include celebrating famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and live music events at the Promenade Park have become staples in Edinburg.
The new ACE, said city Commissioner Daniel Diaz, now becomes the focal point in organizing and adding to the menu of events.
“We’re known as the city of festivals but we didn’t have anything to kind of help tie it all together,” Diaz said. “We needed event space.”
The opening of the ACE “sparks a new era,” Diaz said
“It really highlights our city,” he said. “It’s an economic driver.”
‘Creative Tourism’
Leija, the city’s cultural arts director, says Edinburg attracts over 30,000 visitors a year to its ongoing festivals and events.
She calls it “creative tourism.” There will likely be much more of it in the coming years in Edinburg.
“We hope the ACE becomes a magnet for artists and artists-in-residence, as well as painters, muralists and dancers,” said Dr. Kimberly Selber, a UTRGV communications professor and a member of the city’s Cultural Activities Board. “We want this to be a place where children grow up and have the arts as part of their everyday life.”
For more information about the ACE and arts events in the city, visit edinburgarts.com.
