McAllen wants its own Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits pulled in some world class music and thousands of fans. Unfortunately, about 320 miles and more than five hours of driving separate McAllen from Austin.

The massive trek makes attending the state's largest three-day festival rough. But what if we had our own Austin City Limits? What if you only had to drive from your house to Downtown McAllen?

That'd be sweet.

And that's what the Chamber of Commerce has started looking into. Representatives from the chamber attended Austin City Limits, taking in acts like Manu Chao, Beck and the Foo Fighters, said Yajaira Flores, who owns a local advertising agency and is working with the chamber.

"The point was to get a bunch of ideas to see what we could use operationally for our music fest, but of course it's not going to be the same magnitude," Flores said.

McAllen's fest, titled Another Music Festival, would need time to grow. But who knows where it will be in 10 years.

"If you think about it, ACL has only been going on for seven years," Flores said. "So hopefully McAllen could one day be at that level."

That's what they were going to look at. Could Downtown McAllen host multiple stages in its clubs and bars? Could we sell beer and food? Are there sponsorship dollars to book us major acts?

All questions that need answers.

But Flores, who has worked for Dodge Arena and other local music venues, said the main attraction is of course the music. "We want everything from Spanish pop to alternative rock to blues. We want this to be for the whole family," she said.

And of course, there will be local bands too. So maybe you missed Austin City Limits this year. Big deal, it might be coming to you.

Stay tuned! Officials say they will announce much more information about Another Music Festival in the coming weeks.

Zack Quaintance covers entertainment and features for Festiva. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.