It’s Rodeo Time in Houston

It’s amazing how traditions begin. There was once a group of Houston businessmen, who in 1931 congregated to discuss how to improve and further develop the cattle industry along the Texas Gulf Coast. This seemingly simple effort produced the Houston Fat Stock Show and Livestock Exposition. The first show of this new organization ran from April 30 – May 4, 1932. In order to attract visitors, a free BBQ was provided to attendees after 6 pm each day. The first show attracted an attendance of 2,000. Since then, the show has gone from the old Sam Houston Coliseum (where the Hobby Center stands today) to the Astrodome, to NRG Stadium, which averages over 70,000 spectators each performance. Today this organization is known as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLS&R), the largest of its kind in the entire world. Since the first show in 1932, the HLS&R has committed over $500 million to youth and education. The Show currently has over 2,300 scholars which represent more than 80 different Texas colleges and universities. The Rodeo is one of the largest scholarship providers in the United States. 

The HLS&R has built itself on four main pillars to its foundation. This includes agriculture, education, entertainment, and western heritage. Each year there are over 30,000 livestock and horse show competition entries. The show routinely has an economic impact of over $220 million in Houston. It creates approximately 3,700 jobs each year.  

Every late February Houstonians celebrate “Go Texan Day”, which also usually coincides with the beginning of the Rodeo Cookoff at NRG Park, the home of the Houston Rodeo. Trail riders from across Texas begin their descent to Houston, keeping a longstanding tradition alive, and marching through downtown Houston for the Rodeo parade on the Saturday before the rodeo kicks off. The trail rider tradition began in 1952 when four men traveled to Houston on horseback from nearby Brenham in an effort to bring awareness to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Today there are more than 2,000 trail riders who descend on Houston that span 10 trail rides, which include: 

• Northeastern
• Prairie View
• Salt Grass
• Sam Houston
• Southwest
• Southwestern
• Texas Cattlemen’s
• Texas Independence
• The Spanish
• Valley Lodge

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo are supported by 35,000 volunteers who serve on more than 108 committees. This workforce accounts for an average of 67.8 hours per volunteer and over 51 million volunteer hours per year, collectively.

Houston, which is one of the world’s best international cities, celebrates its western heritage as many pull out their boots and dust off their cowboy hats while heading out to one or many of the rodeo performances, livestock shows, carnivals, and various other rodeo events at NRG Park. Over 2.5 million people attend the show each year. It’s both an exciting and fun time to be in Houston during rodeo season.  

It’s amazing to see the growth and progress the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has made in the Houston area since 1932. The impact on this region of Texas made by the rodeo is immeasurable and the organization is primed for the next several decades and it continues to expand, provide entertainment, support education, and carry on the western traditions that so many around here are proud of.  

Written by Mike Acosta, Director of Brand and Communications with Houston City Beat.