7 Seasonal Rodeos In Texas That Draw Crowds

If you’ve never felt the thunder of hooves shaking an arena floor, you haven’t tapped into Texas in spring. Rodeos here are more than sport; they’re a patchwork of music, food, and community stitched together under stadium lights or blazing sun.

Families spill into grandstands, kids clutch corn dogs bigger than their arms, and somewhere nearby a fiddler tunes up before the next round. It’s chaotic and joyful in equal measure, and each event has a personality as distinct as the town hosting it.

1. Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo

At NRG Park in Houston, February and March belong to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which truly earns its title as the world’s largest. In 2025, over 2.7 million visitors walked the grounds, weaving between bull riding arenas, carnival rides, and food stalls promising everything fried. The concerts are a major draw; superstars take the stage only hours after barrel racers and bull riders compete for glory.

Families make a day of it, exploring the giant livestock show or letting kids burn off energy in petting zoos. Community spirit fuels the event: the scholarship program has awarded more than $305 million since its founding, supporting Texas students.

2. San Antonio Stock Show And Rodeo

By February, San Antonio transforms into a rodeo town, with parades, carnival lights, and live country music shaping the season. Since 1950, this event has blended world-class PRCA competition with a massive stock show that draws students and ranchers alike. Attendance regularly tops a million, and the atmosphere inside the Frost Bank Center is a mix of excitement and deep-rooted tradition.

Livestock pens buzz with young exhibitors showing off their animals, while the midway tempts visitors with fried treats and Texas-sized tacos. Music fans have plenty to cheer for too; national artists play nightly after the dust settles in the arena. Locals see it as more than entertainment; it’s a cultural anchor in the city’s calendar.

3. Fort Worth Stock Show And Rodeo

Every January, Fort Worth dusts off its boots for the Stock Show and Rodeo, which has run continuously since 1896. The city leans into its Western roots with a daily parade of horses and cattle through downtown, and the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum keeps tradition alive inside its historic walls. Officially recognized as the oldest continuously operating livestock show and rodeo in the country, the event mixes heritage with spectacle.

Crowds range from longtime locals who never miss a season to newcomers marveling at the sheer size of the livestock exhibits. Vendors sell everything from leatherwork to kettle corn, filling the midway with irresistible aromas. Families make a day of it, moving from barns to carnival rides before the evening rodeo begins.

4. West Of The Pecos Rodeo

In Pecos, Texas, the rodeo isn’t just an event, it’s a declaration. Since 1883, the West of the Pecos Rodeo has claimed to be the birthplace of the modern rodeo, and nobody in town’s arguing otherwise. You’ll feel the grit instantly. The grandstand’s seen generations of locals holler for team roping, while visitors try not to flinch during saddle bronc riding.

The heat is a main character, and the dust clings to your boots like a badge of honor. There’s a stubborn pride here, one of those places where everyone still knows the mayor’s middle name.

5. Mesquite Championship Rodeo

Saturday nights in Mesquite aren’t subtle. The Mesquite Championship Rodeo throws open its gates every June through August and says, hey, put down your phone, cheer for the bull rider, and eat too much popcorn. Called the Rodeo Capital of Texas, Mesquite’s rodeo is a living postcard: city folks and small-town families, all packed into the same buzzing arena on the edge of Dallas.

The main events run the gamut from bronc riding to barrel racing, and the live music is loud enough to drown out your weekday worries. Where else can you see a seven-year-old out-rope her dad, then dance to country tunes with her grandma? That kind of multi-generational magic is everywhere here.

6. Parker County Frontier Days & PRCA Rodeo

If you’re ever in Weatherford in June, the only excuse for missing the Parker County Frontier Days is being abducted by aliens. And even then, you’d probably ask your captors to swing by the street dance on the way out. This rodeo is the heartbeat of the community: a parade full of vintage tractors, cowgirls in sequined sashes, and local high school bands who play as if Taylor Swift is in the audience.

The actual PRCA events feel both fiercely competitive and homegrown, with families gathering in the stands like it’s Thanksgiving dinner. The carnival spins late into the night, and the fried pickles earned their own cult following.

7. George Paul Memorial Bull Riding

Del Rio may not be the first place you think of for a spring road trip, but the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding gives you plenty of reasons to reconsider. Held at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds, this is the oldest continuous stand-alone bull riding event in the U.S. Named for 1968 world champ George Paul, the event attracts the sort of riders who treat eight seconds on a bull like a casual stroll.

The stories are as legendary as the spills; you’ll hear veterans reminiscing about the first George Paul event like it was the moon landing. The fairground lights keep the adrenaline humming until well past bedtime, and there’s a kind of camaraderie in the dust.