The McAllen Holiday Parade with its towering balloons and lighted extravaganza of features attracts tens of thousands of spectators. The massive event headlines Christmas celebrations in the city. 

Yet, there is another holiday event in McAllen that quietly but surely has developed a following of its own. The South Pole Illuminated Festival, with its month-long run on the grounds of the McAllen Convention Center, now attracts 128,000 visitors annually. It features the country’s tallest digital Christmas tree, an illuminated oval park featuring 24 color-changing trees, a recreated snowfall and Santa’s castle.

The illuminated festival also offers a walking journey through the grounds of the holiday festival with train rides, gingerbread house building and a holiday carnival. What started in 2020 as a drive-by/stay-in-your-car event has been transformed into an interactive/in-person experience.

“This event has really grown over the years,” said Joe Garcia, the marketing and special events supervisor for the McAllen Convention Center and Performing Arts Center. “It has evolved into a very walkable experience.”

Enhancing Quality of Life

The illuminated festival runs from Nov. 29 to Dec. 29. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, the festival’s hours are from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday operating hours are extended to 10:30 p.m. to accommodate larger crowds.

Tickets are available at the festival’s entrance, although purchasing tickets beforehand is encouraged in case of event sell out days. Food trucks and a wide variety of food vendors are on festival grounds and offer many tasty options.

Garcia says the development of the illuminated festival is one more attraction in a city that prides itself in boosting local quality of life with memorable events.

“We have a whole catalog of events,” he said. “The festival enhances the holiday experience in McAllen in addition to all of the excitement the parade provides.”

The big holiday parade occurs this year on Dec. 7. It attracts more than 260,000 spectators and draws millions of viewers via social media, YouTube channels and local television broadcasts. It is a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade type of event in that it features giant balloons and fabulous floats. The Christmas parade is the linchpin of McAllen’s development of events in arts and culture in making itself a festival city.

World Festival City

The development of events is such that the International Festival and Event Association has recognized McAllen as a world festival and event city.

Joe Vera, an assistant city manager, has said the holiday parade has “set the pace” for McAllen becoming a festival city. The illuminated festival is certainly in the mix of those festivals. Planning for it is a year-round event, said Garcia, the marketing and events supervisor. Unlike the parade, the illuminated festival is not a single-day event and is structured to accommodate the work and school schedules of area families so they have many days to attend the event.

“We think the festival has a lot to offer,” he said. “We have a 118-foot-high Christmas tree. It’s the largest in the United States and we have it here in McAllen.”