13 Oct Port of Brownsville Opens Its Gates Saturday for 90th Anniversary Celebration

Anyone curious about what goes on inside the Port of Brownsville can find out this Saturday, Oct. 17, when the port throws open its doors for a free community event marking 90 years in operation.

The Grand Community Celebration kicks off at 8 a.m. and wraps up at 4 p.m. at the port’s Business Park, 1000 Foust Road. The lineup includes a Kids Port play area, live music, heavy-equipment displays and free meals, per the port.

The port is also offering free guided tours by bus and by boat. Seats are first come, first served through Eventbrite, and sign-ups close once the tours fill. The port asks guests to show up at least 30 minutes before their departure time, and says tours can be canceled for weather or other unforeseen reasons. Registration and tour times are on the port’s website, portofbrownsville.com.

The grounds are secure, so adults will need a valid government photo ID to get in, and children must be with an adult.

The anniversary comes in a big year for the port. Saronic Technologies, a builder of autonomous vessels, chose Brownsville for Port Alpha, a $3.2 billion shipyard expected to create roughly 10,000 direct jobs. Meanwhile, Rio Grande LNG is under construction, and Texas LNG, the port’s second LNG plant, recently cleared a step toward construction.

The port began as a farm-goods hub, shipping mostly citrus and cotton overseas. It now has 273 companies on site and works in steel, energy, shipbuilding and ship recycling, among other industries, the port says. The Brownsville Navigation District, which governs the port, opens it to the public on a five-year cycle. The previous open house was in 2021, for the 85th anniversary.

District Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez told the Brownsville Herald that the invitation goes beyond Brownsville. He said the port, about 55 miles from the Upper Valley, belongs to the whole Rio Grande Valley, and that he has been urging neighbors in the region to attend. The event is meant to show residents the progress the port has made, he said.