McAllen Holiday Parade Announces Dallas Cowboys Legends and SpongeBob SquarePants Balloon at Press Event

McAllen, TX – The magic of the McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B and powered by Bert Ogden Auto Group, is building with more stars and more excitement for families to enjoy this December. At a press conference hosted today at Bert Ogden BMW in Pharr, parade organizers unveiled the latest highlights for Christmas Across America, taking place Saturday, December 6, 2025, at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The press event was led by City of McAllen District 1 Commissioner Tony Aguirre and Natasha del Barrio, Chief Executive Officer of the Bert Ogden and Fiesta Auto Group. Together, they welcomed community leaders, sponsors, and media partners to celebrate the ongoing countdown to the Valley’s most spectacular holiday tradition.

During the event, organizers announced two celebrity guests who will appear in this year’s parade: Dallas Cowboys legends Leon Lett and Tony Hill. Fans will also be delighted to learn that SpongeBob SquarePants, the parade’s most popular giant character balloon, will return to float down the 1.5-mile parade route.

In addition, the UTRGV Band confirmed its return to the parade lineup, bringing high-energy music and spirit to the festivities.

The city also celebrated the first winners of Santa’s Christmas Adventure giveaway and revealed details for the next giveaway, launching Wednesday, September 10, across all McAllen Holiday Parade social media platforms.

“This parade is all about bringing families together and celebrating the joy of the holiday season,” said Commissioner Aguirre. “Each announcement builds excitement, and we are proud to see so many partners come together to make the McAllen Holiday Parade bigger and better every year.”

The next McAllen Holiday Parade press conference is scheduled for Friday, September 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at H-E-B. The 2025 parade steps off on Saturday, December 6, at 6:00 p.m. from McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The McAllen Holiday Parade is made possible by presenting sponsor H-E-B, powered by Bert Ogden Auto Group, and proudly supported the following McAllen City Departments: McAllen International Airport, McAllen International Bridge System, McAllen Public Utility, Metro McAllen, McAllen Public Works, McAllen Shines, Explore McAllen, and the McAllen Economic Development Corporation.

Other sponsors include: South Padre Island CVB; Reliant; Lone Star National Bank; Budweiser–L&F Distributors; University of Texas RGV; Lone Star Ambulance; Matt’s Building Materials; PepsiCo; South Texas ISD; South Texas College; McDonald’s; Driscoll Children’s Hospital; Chick-fil-A Rio Grande Valley; American Electric Power Foundation; IBC Bank; Lacks Furniture; McAllen Chamber of Commerce; Hermes; Peña Eye Institute; McAllen I.S.D.; Linebarger Attorneys at Law; General Mills; PNC Bank; O’Reilly Auto Parts; Rhodes Enterprises & Esperanza Homes; Pollux Castor Creative; KSA Engineers; Plains Capital Bank; Palenque Group; Halff Associates; B2Z Engineering; Raba Kistner Consultants, Inc.; Diocese of Brownsville; Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics; Dollar Tree; and SpawGlass.

Media partners for the parade include: KRGV; Entravision; Telemundo 40; Nexstar Media Group; iHeart Radio; Latino Media Network; myRGV.com; Revista Expresion; El Periodico USA; Advance News; Lamar; Más Music; and Radio United.

To read more, go to www.mcallenholidayparade.com