We are truly blessed. For the most part we are able to enjoy the great outdoors throughout the entire year. Plus added to that enjoyment we have cities who are always promoting entertainment and special parades and festivals. So many of these festivals are annual events and occur about the same time each year. If you haven’t done so already, why not mark your calendars with carry over dates for 2023.

The Monarch Butterfly migrates about the same time each year – generally in mid to late October. Somewhere in our beautiful Rio Grande Valley there will be a Monarch Festival. Did you attend the festival held on South Padre Island?

Cancelled in previous years because of the pandemic, but celebrated this year was Boo at the Zoo in Brownsville … that is always a safe and fun way to celebrate Halloween. We are lucky to have a world class zoo in Brownsville (Gladys Porter Zoo) – a great place to take yourself, but especially exciting to the grandchildren who may visit.

Now let’s look forward to celebrating our bird population. One of the biggest festivals in Harlingen is the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. It is always held around the second week in November during the fall migration – but registration for tours, starts nearly a month prior. This is when the birds are moving from their northern habitat to the warmer climates in the south. This festival always offers something for the young and old.

One of my favorite festivals is the Festival of Lights held annually in the small town of Hidalgo. This festival is generally scheduled to begin the second week of December and continues through the month. The popularity of this festival draws such a large crowd that the venue was moved from the Hidalgo Chamber to the Payne Arena. Local school talent is a big part of this popular event. You will oh and ah when you take the two-mile-long lighted trail on the open-air trolley. To add to the entertainment, carnival rides were added last year. Don’t miss this festival.

Huge balloon characters are the highlight of the McAllen Christmas Parade while in Brownsville miniature houses with different themes will surely put you in the Christmas spirit. Watch for dates scheduled for these popular events. And these are just the ones held before the end of the year – there are more in the spring.

How can we be so blessed to have a natural paradise surrounding us? How can we be so lucky to have city chambers and convention and visitor bureaus that promote our local history, nature and our talent? Make time to enjoy it all!