Lone Star National Bank and the City of McAllen on Tuesday announced an expanded sponsorship of the South Pole Illuminated Festival, including free midweek admission for children, city and bank leaders said.

Yahaira Flores, director of the McAllen Convention Facilities, opened the press conference at Lone Star National Bank’s corporate offices and introduced city leaders and festival partners. Commissioner Sebi Haddad (Mayor Pro Tem) and City Manager Isaac Towill described the festival as a longstanding McAllen tradition that has grown through public-private partnerships.

Officials said the festival will include new themed displays — named examples mentioned were a Santa’s South Pole Castle, a Golden Gate Bridge display, Mount Rushmore, a Main Street USA Village, and a 65-foot holiday forest — along with ice-skating sessions, carnival rides, train rides, gingerbread-house crafting and holiday movie screenings. City officials also said the event will feature an electric parade on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., followed by fireworks.

Julien Alvarez, executive vice president of community relations at Lone Star National Bank, said the bank is the festival’s premier sponsor and emphasized efforts to make the event more accessible to families. As part of that effort, the bank will provide free admission for children 12 and under on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the duration of the festival, officials said.

Flores and city leaders also highlighted partner involvement from H-E-B, Driscoll Children’s Hospital and the Driscoll Health Plan, Sames Auto Group, McAllen International Airport and Reliance, saying those sponsors help bring programming, including a Driscoll Electric Parade that will bring the event to children at the hospital.

Organizers invited families to use the festival’s Letters to Santa program (a bank-sponsored mailbox was mentioned) and encouraged the public to attend the South Pole Illuminated Festival and make use of the free-admission midweek initiative for children.

The announcement was a sponsorship and community-access update; no legislative action or formal vote was reported. Officials closed the press conference by thanking partners and wishing the community happy holidays.