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 (12/21).
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.
View routes and hours of operation for free park and ride service via Metro McAllen
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. For questions about planned street closures, call the City of McAllen traffic department at (956) 681-2700. 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 the 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.
This year, organizers have added an automated information line. Users can access it by calling (956) 681-1221.
Early New Year's Eve/New Year's Day Weather Outlook (provided by National Weather Service Meteorologist Barry Goldsmith):
6 AM to Noon, December 31
Weather: Partly Sunny (mix of low and high clouds with filtered sunshine).
Temperature: Rising into the mid 70s.
Wind: Southeast increasing from 5 mph to 15 mph.
Noon to 3 PM, December 31
Weather: Partly Sunny (mix of low and high clouds with filtered sunshine)
Temperature: Peaking at 80 by 3 PM
Wind: Southeast 15 mph; gusts to 20 mph in exposed/elevated locations.
3 PM to 6 PM, December 31
Weather: Becoming Mostly Cloudy
Temperature: 80 dropping to 75 by 6 PM
Wind: Southeast 15 mph; gusts to 20 mph in exposed/elevated locations.
6 PM to 9 PM, December 31 (NYE)
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, "muggy", light haze
Temperature: 73 by 9 PM
Wind: Southeast 15 mph, some gusts 20 mph (exposed/elevated locations) until 7 PM
9 PM to Midnight, December 31 (NYE)
Weather: Mostly cloudy, "muggy", light haze
Temperature: 70 by Midnight
Wind: Southeast 10 to 15 mph
Midnight to 3 AM, January 1
Weather: Overcast, light haze
Temperature: 68 by 3 AM
Wind: Southeast 10 mph
3 AM to 6 AM, January 1
Weather: Overcast, light fog
Temperature: 66 by 6 AM
Wind: Southeast 10 mph
New Years Day Outlook
Weather: Overcast, Periods of light rain developing by noon
Temperature: Lower 70s late morning, falling to 60 or lower during afternoon
Wind: East 5 to 10 mph becoming north 15 to 20 mph and gusty by noon.
In this photo: Los Frijoles Romanticos headline the 2011 New Year's Eve Bash.