Jan. 17 -- SAN BENITO -- Aiming to turn San Benito into "the music capital of South Texas," city leaders are counting on ticket sales and sponsorships to help stage what they're billing as the Rio Grande Valley's biggest festival.
From Feb. 20 to 23, they're going to be working to brand the city after its banner hailing the town as "the home of conjunto music," expanding the annual Hog Waddle Concert and Cookoff into a four-day event showcasing a range of genres along with a carnival across the San Benito Fairgrounds.
At City Hall, City Manager Fred Sandoval said officials are budgeting $150,000 to stage the festival, refuting some residents' claims the event's carrying a $500,000 price tag.
"As a ticketed event, the costs will be covered through a combination of ticket sales, sponsorships, vendor fees and other event-related sales," he said in a statement.
This year, officials are expanding the eighth-annual Hog Waddle from a two-day to a four-day festival.
"In our attempt to brand San Benito as an entertainment and music venue, we will be spending dollars," City Commissioner Tom Goodman said in an interview. "A certain amount of funds can legitimately be spent for branding and entertaining our town. But we have to be responsible with funds. So the end-goal is to have events self-sustaining."
This year, commissioners are budgeting $300,000 to fund a series of annual events including the Hog Waddle festival and Resaca Fest, Christmas on the Resaca, Halloween events and the annual Christmas parade, along with "other events we plan to organize as we continue to develop new and family-friendly activities for the San Benito community," officials said in a statement.
In October, commissioners held off on a proposal to boost the two-day Hog Waddle's price tag to $236,500 amid a plan to turn it into a three-day event, Goodman said in an earlier interview.
A month later, Commissioner Deborah Morales was expressing concern the city's music festivals weren't making money, while it was spending about $300,000 a year to stage the events, suggesting tapping some of the money to help fund animal control, the local food bank and Friends of the Library.
On Thursday, Morales declined comment.
Featuring a carnival, the new Hog Waddle's stage will open Friday, Feb. 21, with a lineup including the Randy Rogers Band, Louie the Singer, Whiskey D and Chayanne.
The next day, the festival will showcase Cardenales de Nuevo Leon, Milla 22 and Los Viejones along with conjunto acts from Valley school districts.
On Sunday, Feb. 23, Thunder Struck and School of Rock, along with other acts, will take the stage.
Meanwhile, the big cookoff will feature teams of barbecue chefs.
"One of the major highlights will be the cook-off competition, featuring categories such as pork ribs, chicken, brisket, pork butt and more," Cristina Garcia, the city's spokeswoman, said. "Whether it's the live music or the cookoff, we want to make sure everyone can come, have a great time and enjoy the family-friendly vibe, without them breaking the bank to see amazing groups like Randy Rogers and Louie the Singer."
For Feb. 21 and 22, general admission tickets will be selling for $20.