Flores: Avocado Fest is now the City of Pharr’s signature event

PHARR, Texas – Pharr City Manager Jonathan B. Flores says Avocado Fest is now his city’s No. 1 event.

This year’s festival takes place Oct. 11. It day will be filled with entertainment, food, market vendors, and carnival rides, Flores said. The festival is part of Fresh on the Border Week.

In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Flores said the reason Avocado Fest is now the No. 1 festival for Pharr is because it helps educate the public on the importance of the Pharr International Bridge.

“This is our signature event for the City of Pharr – the Avocado Festival. It is important because when you have 62 percent of the nation’s avocados crossing through the Pharr International Bridge, that’s huge,” Flores said.

“And we want to be able to educate our community on the importance of not only the avocado, but also the importance of our international bridge and the economic driver it is, and the impact it has on our city as a whole.”

Pharr City Manager Jonathan B. Flores. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

Flores continued: “To be able to not only come out and enjoy with our community these type of free events and be able to improve their quality of life, but also to be able to educate them on what’s going on in the city, it is really just a it’s a one-two punch.”

It was put to Flores that some people in the community, particularly those who have no reason to travel along Military Highway, would not realize the importance of Pharr’s international bridge. The highway is the corridor for numerous industrial parks that house dozens of cold storage warehouses. 

Flores agreed. 

“Absolutely. It is so important to our economy and just to our community as a whole. The fresh produce that crosses the bridge can be packaged on the same day and put onto the truck, and then it goes up north, and it’s on dining tables across the nation. So much logistics and behind the scenes work happens at the port of entry and we’re excited to be able, here at the City of Pharr, to be a big part of that.”

The 2025 Avocado Festival was previewed and promoted by the City of Pharr at the Lakeway cold storage facility in south Pharr. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

Flores’ analysis was reaffirmed by Pharr Assistant City Manager Cynthia Garza. In a video the City of Pharr produced to promote the 2025 Avocado Fest, Garza said that in the past there has “always been a disconnect” when it comes to Pharr residents understanding the economic value of the city’s international bridge.

Editor’s Note: Here is a video interview with Pharr City Commissioner Michael Pacheco about Fresh on the Border Week:

The 2025 Avocado Festival was previewed and promoted by the City of Pharr at the Lakeway cold storage facility in south Pharr. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

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