12th Annual McAllen Holiday Parade: Christmas Across America

Christmas Across America arrives in Texas when the 2025 McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B and powered by Bert Ogden, returns on the 6th of December.

This year, the largest illuminated holiday and helium balloon parade in Texas will celebrate Christmas Across America. This new theme celebrates Santa’s holiday road trip across the country in search of holiday magic.

“We want to take our guests on a cross-country adventure to find holiday magic,” said Isaac Tawil, McAllen City Manager. “We’re using the power of creativity to showcase the people and places Santa finds along the way. It’s fun, it’s big, and it’s something you’ll only see at the McAllen Holiday Parade.”

Christmas Across America was the last theme that late McAllen Assistant City Manager and McAllen Parade cocreator Joe Vera worked on. He wrote, “McAllen should be celebrated alongside every great American city. There’s no better place to celebrate Christmas across America than McAllen.”

This December, Joe Vera’s vision will be realized with new illuminated floats, giant character balloons, marching bands, guest influencers, and celebrities like Danny Trejo, star of the Spy Kids franchise, Machete, Desperado, Con Air, From Dusk till Dawn, Heat, and other iconic films.

This year’s parade will premiere new floats based on reimagined versions of great American cities and attractions, from megalopolises like New York City and Los Angeles to American originals like Roswell, New Mexico.

The parade welcomes the return of the all-time favorite giant character balloon, SpongeBob Squarepants, as he spins for The Vuelta down the parade route alongside other new balloons, like Mr. Monopoly and returning balloons. The Vuelta is a McAllen Holiday Parade tradition that began when balloon handling teams heard the crowd shout Vuelta (spin and twirl) as they moved down the route. Balloon teams spun their balloons to the cheers, creating one of the parade’s signature attractions.

The Vuelta has three dedicated events within the parade: the spin-off at the McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium Opening Extravaganza, the South Padre Island Vuelta Zone hosted by John Jay & Rich, and the McAllen International Airport Skybox Fan Experience.

The Vuelta Spin-Off at the parade’s Opening Extravaganza joins the stadium show’s live performances, marching bands, dancers, and fireworks show.

America’s Team will be represented at Christmas Across America by Dallas Cowboys legends: 3x Super Bowl champion and 2x Pro Bowl defensive tackle, number 78, Leon Lett, and Super Bowl champion and 3x Pro Bowl wide receiver, number 80, Tony Hill.

Tickets to the McAllen Holiday Parade Opening Extravaganza, the SPI Vuelta Zone, and the McAllen International Airport Skybox are limited. For the best holiday experience, families can reserve theirs now at mcallenholidayparade.com

Christmas Across America is only possible through the support of community partners who sponsor, volunteer, and make the holiday brighter for Valley families.

The 2025 McAllen Holiday Parade, this December 6th at 6:00 PM in McAllen, is presented by H-E-B and powered by Bert Ogden Fiesta Dealerships. McAllen International Airport, South Padre Island, Lone Star National Bank, Reliant Energy, and many more valued community sponsors also support the parade.

Learn more at mcallenholidayparade.com