McAllen Holiday Parade designer previews upcoming parade floats
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Bright colors, lights, and the Christmas spirit are just some of what spectators can expect at the McAllen Holiday Parade.
Channel 5 News was given a sneak peek at some of the floats that will be featured at the parade.
The floats were designed by J.J. Herrera, the special events manager for McAllen’s Parks and Recreation department.
Herrera said his family history in event planning led him to become the float designer for the city of McAllen.
“The first time I ever built a float, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake — just put paper on the wood and it's over,” Herrera said. “But no, there's a lot more that goes into it."
Herrera is tasked with helping bring the ideas for the floats to life. He also has a team to build the floats.
“I have the easy part, I design everything on paper, but they're the ones that bring it to life,” Herrera said. “So without them, we wouldn't be here right now."
Herrera said designing and constructing a single float may take up to one month.
Preparing for the parade takes an entire year, but it's a challenge he said he's happy to take on.
“I like a challenge, when somebody tells me ‘you can't do that, it can't be done,’ I like to prove them wrong,” Herrera said, adding that the smiles from parade spectators keeps him motivated.
“The smile on kid’s faces, on people’s faces when the float passes by and to see the sponsors see it and say, ‘oh my god you way passed our expectation,’ that's all the inspiration I really need,” Herrera said.
The McAllen Holiday Parade kicks off on Saturday, Dev. 7. Tickets are available online.
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