HOUSTON — The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a favorite family-friendly tradition that kicked off Tuesday, Feb. 28 and runs through Sunday, March 19.
Whether you’re looking for a fun date night with your sweetheart, a spring break outing with your besties or a great way to entertain the kiddos, RodeoHouston offers something for everyone!
For rodeo rookies who aren’t from around these parts -- and anyone else who's not a regular -- we’ve put together this guide with everything you need to know before you rodeo!
Top 10 reasons to go to the Rodeo
There are thousands of reasons the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo attracts millions of country and city folk every year. We’ve compiled our own top 10 list:
- It’s a good bang for your buck. From country and pop to Latin and hip-hop, the concert lineup is packed with stars you can see for as little as $25 a pop. RELATED: RodeoHouston announces full concert lineup
- Your concert ticket also includes the nightly rodeo action featuring top cowboys and cowgirls competing on bucking bulls and broncs or racing around barrels.
- The cute and courageous kids who take part in the mutton bustin’ and calf scramble each night at RodeoHouston will make your heart smile.
- The nightly tribute to bucking horses is magical and never gets old.
5. If the rodeo competition and live music aren't your things, you can buy a grounds ticket for $20 for adults, ages 13 and up, and $10 for children ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free. The ticket includes admission to everything outside of NRG Stadium, including all the attractions inside NRG Center and NRG Arena.
If you're planning to go a few times, you can buy a grounds season pass for $50.
6. The grounds ticket also includes admission to the Carnival which offers 80 rides, 54 games and 36 food stands.
There's even a carnival area for little kids on the east side closest to Fannin with not-so-scary rides, pony rides and a petting zoo.
Tickets for rides and games are 50 cents each. Tip: Plan ahead and buy Carnival discount packs online by Feb. 25 and you'll save a lot of money.
7. The food is fabulous! Come hungry and leave your diet at home. And don't worry about the calories from all that fried, fattening food -- you're going to do A LOT of walking to burn them off. Tip: If your cowboy boots aren't already broken in, wear sneakers.
8. You can get up close and personal with horses, llamas, bunnies and all kinds of livestock inside NRG Center. With good timing and a little luck, you might witness cows, pigs or sheep give birth at AGVENTURE inside NRG Center. You can also see baby chicks hatch there!
There are also two petting zoos: one inside NRG Center and another outside near the Carnival.
9. There’s shopping galore inside NRG Center and NRG Arena. Tip: Come during the day when it's not so crowded and take your time browsing through the aisles.
10. From pint-sized cowpokes to country club cowboys to the real deal, the people-watching alone is worth the ticket price!
Photos: Cute kiddos at Rodeo
Rodeo scholarships: It's for a great cause!
Supporting the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is an investment in our future!
HLSR is one of the largest scholarship providers in the U.S. They've awarded more than $260 million in college scholarships to more than 20,000 Texas students since 1957.
Currently, more than 2,400 students are on HLSR scholarships, attending more than 80 different Texas colleges and universities.
Any high school graduate who lives in the Lone Star State and plans to attend a Texas university is eligible. Click here for more information on how to apply.
Photos: 2023 School Art winners
That's no bull!
"Well, it's bulls and blood, it's the dust and mud, it's the roar of a Sunday crowd," Garth Brooks sings in his hit song "Rodeo."
The RodeoHouston competition kicks off inside NRG Stadium at 6:45 p.m. each night -- or 3:45 p.m. on weekends -- and features some of the top cowboys and cowgirls in the country.
It’s a 19-day tournament-style competition that awards cash to the top scorers each night. The final weekend, event champions will be crowned in bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping and women’s barrel racing. Each champion gets $50,000, a custom saddle and belt buckle and bragging rights.
2018 PHOTOS: Man vs. beast in RodeoHouston semifinals
Calf Scramble and Mutton Bustin'
Between the rodeo competition and concert, each night there's a crowd favorite: The calf scramble. Thirty kids chase 15 calves around the stadium floor until all of them are caught.
The crowd cheers the kids on as the calves dart across the dirt in one of the most chaotic and entertaining events of the Rodeo.
The fifteen kids who catch a calf are awarded $1,750 to buy a heifer. They'll raise it for a year and then bring it back to show at next year's Livestock Show.
Mutton Bustin' with kids riding on ornery sheep is another must-see!
Concerts: The stars at night are big and bright
The rodeo competition is followed by a nightly concert featuring country, pop, hip hop and rock.
- Feb 28: Parker McCollum
- March 1: Brooks and Dunn
- March 2: Lauren Daigle
- March 3: Bun B's Southern Takeover
- March 4: Walker Hayes
- March 5: Zac Brown Band
- March 6: Jason Aldean
- March 7: New Kids on the Block
- March 8: Jon Pardi
- March 9: Ashley McBryde
- March 10: The Chainsmokers
- March 11: Turnpike Troubadours
- March 12: La Fiera De Ojinaga
- March 13: Cody Jinks
- March 14: Machine Gun Kelly
- March 15: Kenny Chesney
- March 16: Chris Stapleton
- March 17: Cody Johnson
- March 18: Brad Paisley
Dance the night away
If you didn't score tickets for Chris, Cody, Bun B or other hot sellers, you can still enjoy free live music and dancing each night in The Hideout.
The Rodeo's very own honky tonk has a big dance floor, bars and some of the best up-and-coming musicians.
It's open nightly from 6 p.m. to midnight in the giant white tent on the west side of NRG Arena. You must be at least 21.
Your grounds ticket gets you in.
Here's a list of the performers.
Rodeo on the cheap
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced big plans for a brand new Community Day with free admission for everyone until noon on Wednesday, March 8.
The special day sponsored by TC Energy will also include discounts for carnival rides and games and lower prices on some food and drinks.
The free admission will be for grounds tickets, which include entrance to the carnival, the Livestock Show and all of the attractions inside NRG Center and NRG Arena.
Tickets for the Rodeo and nightly concerts at NRG Stadium are sold separately. If you have tickets to the Rodeo, they include admission to the grounds.
Free Family Wednesdays
- Free NRG Park Admission for seniors, 60 and over, and children, 12 and under until noon. (does not include rodeo/concert admission).
- You can get more bang for your buck on those days too with carnival and food discounts.
Armed Forces Appreciation Day
- On March 1, active members of the military in uniform and with a current military ID can get in free, along with four family members.
- Spouses of actively serving military members currently deployed with a dependent ID plus four family members also get in free.
- Visitors are encouraged to show their appreciation for the troops by wearing red, white and blue on Armed Forces Appreciation Day.
- The free admission is for the grounds only. Tickets for the Rodeo and concert are sold separately.
First Responders Day
- HLSR salutes law enforcement, firefighters EMS and other first responders on Monday, March 6, with First Responders Day.
- All first responders with a badge and four family members get in free to the grounds.
- First responders will be recognized during the Rodeo performance that night. Rodeo tickets are sold separately.
How to get to the Rodeo
- The easiest and most stress-free way to get to the rodeo is to let someone else do the driving!
- You can catch a ride on the MetroRail for $2.50 round-trip and it drops you off at the stadium.
- The Rodeo Express Metro buses offer service to NRG Park from these Park and Ride locations.
- You will need a mask for MetroRail and buses but they're not required on the grounds.
Rideshares
- Uber and Lift drop-offs and pick-ups are in the Yellow Lot.
- Entrance Gate 13D off Westridge from the northbound lanes of Main Street is the only access to the lot. There is no left turn lane access allowed from the southbound lanes of Main Street.
- Also, beware of surge pricing after the rodeo ends.
Parking
If you decide to drive yourself, we recommend downloading the RodeoHouston app for up-to-the-minute updates on which lots are full.
Here's a map of the parking lots. There's also parking in the old Astroworld lot off the South Loop.
Some lots have shuttles that will take you to NRG Park.
Rodeo bag policy
Unlike a lot of large events these days, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo does not have a clear bag policy on the grounds or inside NRG Stadium.
Small purses, backpacks and diaper bags are allowed but will be searched at the NRG Park entrance gates. Random bag checks will also be done at NRG Stadium gates.
Everyone is also subject to wand checks.
Baby strollers and wagons are allowed and there are "parking spots" for the strollers and wagons in all four corners of NRG Stadium.
Items not allowed at RodeoHouston
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
- air horns
- alcohol
- banners bearing advertisements
- banners judged to be in poor taste or offensive
- beach balls
- firearms
- fireworks
- flag poles
- footballs
- Frisbee® and other sports discs
- hover boards
- laser pointers
- professional camera equipment (photography lenses over 3 inches in length)
- selfie sticks
- weapons
- whistles
Audio recording is not allowed in NRG Stadium. Video recording is not allowed in the stadium during RodeoHouston®.
What to wear
You don't need to spend a fortune to look fabulous while you embrace your inner cowboy or cowgirl.
In fact, you might already have the right fashions in your closet.
For women, anything with the Boho chic look works just fine and dandy. Think embroidery, modern hippy and/or fringe. Bonus points if you add boots and a cowboy hat.
A jean jacket, jeans and boots can help women and men pull off the right look.
If you don't want to spend a fortune on cowboy boots, you can find less expensive versions online, at resale stores and even at local Western stores like Cavender's and Boot Barn. Or wear your favorite booties. Tip: Don't try to break in a new pair of boots at the rodeo. You'll be doing a lot of walking.
For accessories, Houston stores are full of fun and affordable jewelry and at the rodeo, the more bling the better. Turquoise is always in style, whether it's the real deal or the less expensive version.
No time to shop before you go? No worries! NRG Center is full of rodeo fashion and accessories in all price ranges.
Photos: Go Texan Day
35,000 volunteers
Almost all of the RodeoHouston employees are volunteering their time.
"The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ would not be the amazing success story that it is today without the dedication and hard work of its 35,000 volunteers," organizers say.
They're all members of 110 committees that do everything from serving wine to selling tickets to picking up animal poop.
By donating their time, the volunteers help the rodeo raise more money for scholarships since they don't have to spend it on paid employees.
Click here to learn more about volunteering for HLSR.
