With the support of the City of McAllen, the committee began to plan an event that would combine several highly successful events into one fun and festive weekend filled with entertainment typical of our area and good old-fashioned “fun” for the entire family. The event was entitled “PalmFest” as an indication of our region as for many years our city has been known as the “City of Palms”.
PalmFest made its debut October 2006 with “partners” consisting of not for profit and service organizations. The event drew about 15,000 attendees that year and attendance has increased significantly each year since then with approximately 35,000 visitors at the 2009 event. PalmFest is a not for profit event that has continued to offer free admission and free parking at the festival thus truly creating a “win-win” festival that is of benefit to our community and our region.