Rodeo Roundup kicks off week of festivities before Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
HOUSTON - The celebration leading up to opening day of the 2020 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo begins Tuesday, February 25 with Rodeo Roundup.
Rodeo Roundup & Go Texan Day
Everyone is invited to this free event in downtown Houston, Tuesday, February 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Houston City Hall in Hermann Square. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Go Texan Day proclamation will kick off the event, followed by free lunch. Enjoy live music, take your photo atop a Texas Longhorn steer and visit with Rodeo volunteers representing more than 100 committees to learn more about this annual Houston tradition. Learn more about Rodeo Roundup here. Go Texan Day, the city-wide celebration of Western heritage, is Friday, Febraury 28. As the unofficial kickoff of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, everyone in the Houston community is encouraged to wear their best Western attire. Get ready for Rodeo in your favorite jeans, boots, and cowboy hats. Learn more about Go Texan Day here.
World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest
Over 250 teams will compete in the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, February 27 – 29. Over the course of three days, teams from across the state of Texas and the world will compete for champion titles in the following categories: Brisket, Ribs, Chicken, Go Texan and Dutch Oven Dessert, and new this year, a Jr. Cook-off Contest. The Jr. Cook-off Contest will take place Saturday, February 29 at 9 a.m. in the Garden area. Young chefs between the ages of 8 and 14 will compete to see who can cook the best steak. Awards for the Jr. Cook-off Contest will be presented at 11 a.m.
Most Bar-B-Que Contest team tents are invitation-only, but visitors are welcome to enjoy a sliced brisket plate with chips and beans from the Chuckwagon, included in the cost of admission. Enjoy live music daily at The Garden Stage, sponsored by Miller Lite, and the Rockin’ Bar-B-Que Saloon. Click here to purchase Bar-B-Que Contest tickets. View the entertainment schedule here.
Trail Rides
On Friday, February 28, horses and wagons from 12 trail rides will make their way through the city streets to merge and camp one final night at Memorial Park before participating in the Downtown Rodeo Parade, Saturday, February 29. This continues an over 65-year-old tradition that keeps Western heritage alive in the nation’s fourth-largest city. Anyone who came out to see the trail rides arrive in Houston is also invited to join the awards presentation in Memorial Park at 5 p.m.
Rodeo Run, presented by ConocoPhillips
The run will precede the Downtown Rodeo Parade and will kick off at 9:10 a.m. with the wheelchair race, followed by varying elite and timed races. If you can’t make the event, check out the Sleep-In option. Sign up here.
Downtown Rodeo Parade
The 2020 Downtown Rodeo Parade will be held Saturday, February 29 at 10 a.m. Leading the parade will be past and present Rodeo scholarship recipients representing each decade, including the first-ever Rodeo scholar Ben Dickerson. For more information about the Downtown Rodeo Parade like parade routes and parking, visit the website.
There are still some tickets available for 2020 RODEOHOUSTON performances. View the concert lineup and purchase tickets here.