Kicking Off RodeoHouston

HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO is an annual thrilling celebration of the Old West heritage. It returns every year in the spring with the carnival rides, games, food, epic country music concerts, and of course, the world's largest livestock show and rodeo.

The 2022 Rodeo Houston starts on Feb. 28 and ends on March 20. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Houston Rodeo.
Go Texan Day is the unofficial kickoff of the rodeo season. It's celebrated across Houston on Friday before the official rodeo events start.
Get some rodeo experience without spending a dime on the Trail Ride routes. Watch the thousands of trail riders from across Texas and Louisiana pass by as they surge into Houston with their covered wagons and horses to partake in the world’s largest rodeo. Everything you need to know about the 2022 Trail Rides is here.

Every year, we frequent the carnival grounds to enjoy many outdoor activities perfect for the whole family. The Carnival, Pig Races, and Fun on The Farm are our favorite parts of rodeoing with the kids.

We kick off the rodeo season by putting our cowboy boots on and watching from the streets as the Trail Riders travel to Downtown Houston for the annual parade.

ADMISSION

General Admission/Grounds Passes General admission/grounds passes allow you access to the carnival, NRG Arena, and NRG Center only. To visit the rodeo and concert at the NRG Stadium, you have to purchase a Rodeo/Concert ticket. If you have the latter, you don't need to have a general admission ticket. Children age 2 and under are free.
Rodeo/Concert Admission A Rodeo/Concert ticket gives you access to all rodeo and carnival activities, the concert and rodeo competition at NRG Stadium included.
Free Family Wednesday On Wednesdays, seniors, 60 and over, and children, 12 and under can get a free general admission ticket until noon.
Rodeo/Concert Admission starts at $20.
General Admission is $15 for adults and free for kids 2 and under.

We normally get general admission tickets and head out to the carnival first thing in the morning sharp at 9 a.m. to avoid crowds. No matter what the age, there is so much to see and do with just general admission.

Stopping by The Big Boot to play a kid-friendly game and taking a picture with an iconic sight are musts. At our last rodeo, we played the cornhole next to the boot. Kids pitched two out of three bags, so we left with a kid cowboy hat and a koozie.

RIDE AND GAME TICKETS

Carnival rides aren't included with general or concert admission and must be purchased separately.

You can get the Half-Price Carnival Packs (ride/game tickets and coupons) online from $10 to $50 a pack.
Discount Half Price Packs are only available to purchase online before Rodeo starts.
Most attractions and rides are designed for kids who are at least 42" tall.

At the time of visit, we didn't have the half-price tickets for rides and games and had to purchase those at the ticket booth on-site. On the grounds, we got 10 tickets for $5. The average carnival ride was between 6 and 8 tickets.

There's also a park map on the grounds by the entrance to help you locate everything from the carnival to kid exhibits to food stands to rodeo and concert destinations.

1. EXPLORE ART INSTALLATIONS

My creative soul craves these sights as much, if not more, as all the other classic attractions at the Houston Rodeo. The Big Boot and Howdy have already become an iconic Rodeo attraction and they are simply fun to pose with.

If you don't have like a dozen photos with The Big Boot, have you even been to the Houston rodeo? You may find yourself waiting in a line to get to the boot, but it moves fast.

2. THE CARNIVAL

After wondering through the grounds and checking out some cool installation, we head to the carnival grounds.

There's a great variety of rides and games from the Atlantis Funhouse, a multi-leveled funhouse based on the legend of a forever lost island paradise, to a classic Ferris wheel.

To make the most of your time, you can choose from classic carnival games, windsurf, rave wave, the Zipper and many others. However, most of them require a child to be at least 42" tall. There are fewer rides for kids who are 32"– 42".

Some rides require an adult rider with a child.

3. VISIT FUN ON THE FARM

It's one of the most unique and fun activities for the kids to do at Rodeo Houston and is our all-time favorite.

Kids have a chance to take on farm chores and get some hands-on experience of life on the farm in the most entertaining way. Little farmers plant seeds, harvest crops, collect eggs and learn where their veggies and milk come from. There are endless things to do around the farm.

Rake the soil, plant the seed, water the plant, and finally dig the carrot out – it takes a lot of effort for veggies to grow. Oh, and watch out for the pesky little bugs. This creative farming helps kids to appreciate the land that feeds us. But the fun doesn't end there.

It's time to transport produce to the market. The farm-to-market exhibit lets kids to sell their goods, earn some money and then spend them on little treats. Farmer's days are filled with big and small tasks.

To further explore how the farm works, kids have an opportunity to take care of the animals too. Cows have to be fed and milked, and sheep's wool coats sheared.

Who needs a sandbox, when you can have a giant box filled with corn.

The farm opens its doors at 10 a.m. Grab a straw basket and start farming.

If you have younger children make sure to also check out the Petting Zoo, Pig Races, Stars Over Texas Stage, and The Junction Carnival, a special ride and game area designed for children.

4. TRY RODEO FOOD

The rodeo food is a one-of-a-kind dining experience and deserves you to visit the carnival grounds just for it.

Every year the Houston Rodeo gives hungry visitors something new to try. This year, bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick, donut chicken sandwich, crunchy flamin’ hot pickles, hot Cheetos float drink, teriyaki chicken pineapple bowl, and watermelon dole whip taco make their debut.

Come hungry and try a 2-foot-long sausage on a stick, over-the-top burgers, handmade tamales, chocolate-dipped jalapeños, deep-fried Oreo or all-time favorite Texas-sized smoked turkey legs.

Apparently, jumbo is a new small for the Rodeo season.

The rodeo is avant-garde for pretty much everything that is deep-fried. Deep-fried food is outrageously weird as much as it is good. Deep-fried cheesecake or cookie dough, anyone?

or maybe pizza on a stick?

There is nothing quite like the rodeo food. So come hungry and treat your tastebuds to new flavors.

5. RODEO & CONCERT

Rodeo Houston has everything from outrageously delicious food and drinks to the greatest nights in the rodeo's history and all-star concerts.

Rodeo Houston is held inside the NRG Stadium, and you need a concert/rodeo ticket to see it. Hundreds of contestants compete in two championships: the Super Series and Super Shootout.

If you have never been to the rodeo event before, I definitely recommend attending it at least once. Despite my lack of knowledge of all the rules, slang, and events the athletes compete in, I truly enjoy the rodeo. Once the bull with the rider jumps from the chute into the arena, time slows down, and the sense of connectedness to something heroic and epic ensues.

Seeing the world’s best professional cowboys and cowgirls compete against each other and the clock keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

During the 21-day rodeo, athletes will try to level up to the world's best in the seven events: bareback and saddle bronc riding, barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, and team roping.

There is a different concert each night. Right after the star athletes leave the arena, the star entertainers take the stage. If you get the concert ticket, you don't need a general admission ticket to enter the NRG Stadium for the rodeo and concert.

The 2022 RodeoHouston's lineup, start times for the concert and tickets are here. In addition to the top country music artists, this year, there will also be the first Christian performance by For King and Country in the rodeo's history.

The "King of Country" George Strait will perform for the rodeo's grand finale, closing out the 2022 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Concert tickets start at $20.