Plans Unveiled for McAllen’s Downtown New Year’s Eve Bash

McAllen, TX—The City of McAllen will usher in 2012 with live music, a laser light show, confetti canons, and fireworks at its downtown New Year’s Eve bash, officials announced Wednesday.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez, who’s also chairman of the New Year’s Eve Bash Committee, said four live bands will perform outside the downtown parking garage, at 15th and Beaumont, from 7 pm to midnight. The performers include salsa/merengue group ACHE, country music artists Marshall Law, rock music favorites In and Out, and latin rock headliner Del Castillo.

The concert is free and a free park and ride shuttle service on Metro McAllen public transit buses will be provided to and from the McAllen Convention Center (Ware Road and Expressway 83) and the McAllen Civic Center (10th Street and Expressway 83) beginning at 6 pm December 31, 2011 to 4 am January 1, 2012.

Buses departing continuously from the McAllen Convention Center will drop off passengers on Business 83, between Broadway and 15th Street. Metro McAllen buses departing continuously from the McAllen Civic Center will drop off passengers on Bicentennial Boulevard, between Beaumont and Chicago. Passengers wanting to return to their vehicles can re-board the buses at their respective drop off locations. Routes and hours of operation of the park and ride services are being posted on city websites. Metro McAllen representatives can provide additional information about the New Year’s Eve free park and ride service at (956) 681-3510.

The New Year’s Eve Bash event zone is inside the boundaries of Business Highway 83 and Dallas Avenue and Bicentennial Boulevard and Broadway Avenue. Several parking and street closures are planned days and hours before the event. The City of McAllen will post a map of scheduled parking and street closures on its city websites. Vehicles illegally parked will be towed.

Concessions and novelty booths will be available on 16th Street, between Chicago Avenue and Austin Avenue. Vendor spaces may be reserved, while available, by calling Heart of the City at (956) 686-4357.

ExploreMcAllen.com is the official city website for the New Year’s Eve Bash. Continuous updates will be posted prior to event. The City of McAllen’s Public Information office also plans to provide live coverage of the New Year’s Eve bash on the City of McAllen’s Time Warner Cable digital channel (MCN) 17.12. The channel streams live on mcallen.net. Additional updates and photos will also be posted on the City of McAllen social media sites, Facebook/McAllenTX, Twitter/City of McAllen, Facebook/ExploreMcAllen and Twitter/ExploreMcAllen. Social media followers can use hash tag #RGVNYE.

Media representatives planning live coverage of the New Year’s Eve Bash will be directed to an assigned media parking area, on 15th Street, just north of Beaumont. Please submit requests for credentials before Thursday, December 29, 2011.