It’s that time of the year, y’all. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is back at NRG park to host the most Texan event of the season.
Read through to find out what to eat, drink, and do at the 2024 Houston Rodeo. [Featured image: @rodeohouston]
What to do?
First off, get your tickets. Purchase them online on their website, on their RODEOHOUSTON app, or in person at the NRG Park Box Office.
Agriculture and livestock has always been the heart of the rodeo. As such, there are countless exhibits, educational opportunities, seminars, auctions, and animal-based activities to take part in.
Visit Agventure in Hall A of the NRG Center, where children and adults can learn about agriculture through a variety of exhibits. Among them include pony rides, miniature petting zoos, encased bee hives and more.
Watching the bull-riders might have struck you with a sense of envy. If you want an adrenaline rush of your own, head down to the cowboy carnival to take a spin on one of their 80 different rides. Or, give away all your money trying to win a giant stuffed panda bear at their assortment of carnival games.
If that’s a little too much thrill to bargain for, visit The Junction. FKA Kids Country, this area features ride and games catered to younger, more fragile lifeforms. While you’re there, get some quality entertainment watching children trying to wrangle sheep at the Mutton Bustin’.
Complete your cowboy get-up at one of their many retail vendors. On the west side of the NRG Astrodome you can find a number of local business boosting art pieces, leather, and other goods.
What to Eat and Drink:
Now to the fat part — I mean “fun” part. Get a taste of Texas at one (or two or three) of the delicious food vendors.
Indulge your cravings of classic fair food at the carnival, where you can sink your teeth into all the corndogs, funnel cakes, and turkey legs your little heart desires. Not to mention enough deep fried food to make your cheat meal last a lifetime — that being said, you’d be a prude not to try just one fried Oreo.
Hot food and beverage items from last year include:
- Hot Nashville Cheeto Chicken Sandwich and Cap’n Crunch Chicken Sandwich (Biggy’s II)
- Ramen Corn in a Cup (Corn Shack)
- Candied Grapes (Cowboy Kettle Corn)
- Captain Crunch Funnel Cake and Fruity Pebbles Funnel Cake (Dutchemen’s Funnel Cake)
- Flamin Hot Wings (Enzo’s Pizzeria)
- Deep Fried Krispy Kreme Banana Split (Fried A Fair II)
- Fruity Pebbles Shrimp Fried Rice Bowl (Get Fried)
- Going Nuts (Hot Cheetos Pretzel)
- Cowboy Slushi (Kid Shack)
- Honolulu Hog Spud (Spud Ranch BBQ)
- Deep Fried Scone (Sweet Cheeks)
- Rodeo Caramel Crack Sundae (Swirl Ice Cream)
- Rodeo Donut Cheeseburger (Texas Steak Out Grill)
Take a lap, take a shot, do whatever you have to do to make some room for some homespun Texas cookin’. Take your pick from barbecue, burgers, Tex-Mex: you name it — options abound. Favorites include Goode Company BBQ, Holmes Smokehouse, and Alamo Tamale & Taco.
If you’re a straight-up champion that’s still got room for dessert, they have a host of sweet vendors which feature everything from cobbler (Cobbler Cafe) to cinnamon rolls (Crown Cinnamon Rolls II) to Dippin’ Dots — don’t you miss those?
Furthermore, Houstonians can enjoy the best burger in North America with the return of the Trill Burgers stand.
No rodeo is complete without a little sauce. No, I’m not talking about the barbecue. Hydrate at one of their number of watering holes to get your beers, margaritas, or Ranch House Lemonades.
What to See?
If this ain’t your first rodeo, or if it is, you can expect for it to go down in the ring. There’s a lot riding on Rodeohouston this year: two separate competitions, and over 300 athletes. The tournaments will include the best in bull-riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, roping, and more. Rest assured this is action you don’t want to miss.
The only possible acts that could top Rodeohouston, would be the concert series. It’s a new year, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo aren’t holding back with their 2023 acts.
The concert series will kick off with a performance from Blake Shelton on February 27. The lineup also features:
- Feb. 27: Blake Shelton
- Feb. 28: Carly Pearce
- Feb. 29: for KING + COUNTRY
- March 1: 50 Cent
- March 2: HARDY
- March 3: Ivan Cornejo
- March 4: Hank Williams Jr.
- March 5: Oliver Anthony
- March 6: Jelly Roll
- March 7: Luke Bryan
- March 8: Major Lazer
- March 9: Lainey Wilson
- March 10: Los Tigres del Norte
- March 11: Whiskey Myers
- March 12: Bun B
- March 13: Nickelback
- March 14: Zac Brown Band
- March 15: Jonas Brothers
- March 16: Brad Paisley
- March 17: Eric Church
In Sum:
The Houston Livestock and Rodeo is the event of the season and is not one for any self-respecting Houstonian to miss. Rope in your tickets, buckle your belts, and have a buckwild time at this Texas treasure!