The City of McAllen recently earned 82 multiple awards, as well as an international designation and a coveted industry award, at the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Insurance Pinnacle Awards and the IFEA World Festival & Event City Awards. The accolades came during the 65th annual International Festival & Events Association Annual Convention, Expo and Retreat, held just recently in McAllen.
“I am proud and honored of the amazing work that the City of McAllen does to plan, organize, host and promote the quality festivals and events held here in our community throughout the year and extremely proud of the staff who make them happen,” said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos. “These awards are truly well-deserved and also, inspiring for us to be honored in such amazing company with other festivals and events from around the world.”
Festivals and events from around the world were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and top-quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and marketing materials.
The City of McAllen was awarded IFEA’s highest honor for a city, being named an IFEA World Festival and Event City. Joining McAllen in the honors is Chiang Mai, Thailand; Jinju, South Korea; Penghu, Taiwan; and Philadelphia, Penn.
“The IFEA is pleased to recognize and highlight those cities and markets who have worked, through concerted efforts, to provide an environment conducive to successful festivals and events,” said IFEA President Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE, during the presentations. “Through this award, the IFEA hopes to create a continuing dialogue between events and cities around the world, at a time when each needs to be supporting the other more than ever. The quality of all the entries paints a bright picture for our industry and those cities recognized with this award are helping to build a strong foundation and example that we hope all cities, globally, will work to emulate.”
McAllen Racks Up More Than 80 Awards
The City of McAllen also received a total of 34 gold, 23 silver and 25 bronze Pinnacle Awards for the McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B, as well as the multiple events hosted by Quinta Mazatlán, including Moon Over Mazatlan and Monarch Fest; and the McAllen Public Library’s Wild West Casino and Frida Art Displays; and the McAllen Convention Center’s CarFest, Fiesta de Palmas and South Pole Illuminated Festival.
McAllen received the IFEA World Festival and Event City designation, in part, because it hosted more than 800 events last year alone. The economic impact to the McAllen economy was more than $87 million.
Finally, the McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B and the McAllen Public Library’s South Texas Book Festival each walked away with IFEA’s most coveted award, the Grand Pinnacle, for outstanding accomplishments and top-quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and marketing materials, winning in their respective budget categories.
“We are always hosting something, whether it be a small music fest, a large-scale cultural celebration or, our very own internationally-acclaimed McAllen Holiday Parade, and these events and festivals and celebrations are why people from throughout the Rio Grande Valley and northern Mexico flock to McAllen,” said McAllen Assistant City Manager and IFEA Board Member Joe Vera.