Complete First Timers Guide To The Fort Worth Rodeo Texas

I had never been to a rodeo before, so the Fort Worth Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Texas was my first.

The rodeo is actually the official sport of Texas, so it’s a must do when visiting the state to say the least, especially if you’re in Fort Worth (or even Dallas!). But, if you’ve never been to a rodeo before, like me, then you’re in for a nice surprise!

This is the ultimate first timers guide to the Stockyards Fort Worth rodeo in Texas. I’ll go over what to expect, and logistics – like where to sit in the arena!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

History Of The Rodeo In Texas

There’s no denying that rodeo is Texas through and through. I mean, it’s their official sport after all, and dates all the way back to the 1883 in Pecos, Texas where the first rodeo took place.

It started as a simple competition between two men to determine who was the better roper. But, people showed up to watch the event, and other cowboys even joined in on the competition. Just like that, the first rodeo was born!

The Pecos Rodeo still takes place today and remains the oldest rodeo in Texas. You can find more information here.

The Fort Worth Stockyards Championship Rodeo

The Fort Worth Stockyards Championship Rodeo is more of a show than a real rodeo tournament. It takes place in the historical Fort Worth Stockyards at the Cowtown Coliseum.

The Fort Worth Stockyards are about a 10 minute drive from downtown Fort Worth, and about 40 minutes from Dallas.

Fun Fact! The Cowtown Coliseum was built in 1908 and it was the first place where they introduced bull riding in a rodeo. Find out more Texas fun facts here.

The Stockyards Championship Rodeo takes place every Friday and Saturday.

Yup – you read that right! It’s EVERY Friday and Saturday night (sometimes there’s even a special Thursday show!). This is the only all year round rodeo.

Usually, rodeos in Texas will be an annual event. But, the stockyards rodeo gives the opportunity for everyone to see a rodeo – no matter when they’re visiting.

Don’t Confuse The Stockyards Rodeo With The Fort Worth Rodeo…

Although the Stockyards Championship Rodeo takes place in Fort Worth, it is NOT the same as the Fort Worth Rodeo.

The Fort Worth Rodeo is an actual annual rodeo that takes place in Fort Worth – but Not in the historical stockyards of Fort Worth. This is the tournament that cowboys and cowgirls compete in.

Continue reading for more information on the Fort Worth Rodeo…

Logistics Of Visiting The Stockyards Fort Worth Rodeo

You have to think about the Stockyards Fort Worth Rodeo like you’re going to a concert. Because that’s what it is, it’s really like an event!

The doors open an hour and a half before the show begins. You can buy food at the Cowtown Coliseum and they have entertainment (live music) before the rodeo begins.

That being said, you don’t have to get there all that much before the rodeo begins either. You will be sitting for a very long time if you do… and they’re not the most comfortable seats…

The Fort Worth Stockyards Championship Rodeo itself is about 2 hours with a short intermission halfway through.

Plan Your Visit In Advance To The Stockyards Rodeo

If you’re visiting Texas, you should plan your visit to the Stockyards Fort Worth Rodeo in advance. You can buy tickets when you’re there, but I recommend buying your tickets in advance.

First, it’s a lot less stressful if you already have tickets when you’re there. We noticed quite a long line at the ticket booth. But more importantly, you’ll want first choice of seats!

You can buy tickets online here.

Where Should You Sit At The Texas Rodeo Fort Worth Stockyards

There are three locations you can choose to sit at the rodeo: the Bucking Shoots, the Roping Shoots, or somewhere in the middle.

There’s really no right answer here, it’s all about preference and what you want to get the best view of.

The middle gives you an equal view of both sides of the arena. Whereas if you choose either shoot, you’re off to the side – getting the best view of some events, but a worse view of others.

We sat in the bucking shoots, and would definitely recommend these seats…

Why I Recommend The Bucking Shoots At The Texas Rodeo Fort Worth

We opted for the bucking shoots at the rodeo mainly because they had the better seats that we wanted.

But, I actually think it was the perfect viewing angle for us, and if you’ve never been to a rodeo before, like us.

It seemed like a lot more of the action was happening at the bucking shoots.

The bucking shoots are where the horses and bulls are for bucking events. But what we didn’t realize is that these types of events stay on this side of the arena. The horses and bulls rarely move further into the rodeo ring.

Unlike the roping events, which start at the opposite side of the ring but end up either in the middle or even at the bucking shoots. Roping events are when calfs are let out of a pen and the roper has to catch them with a rope on horseback. Like I said, the calf runs across the arena, and the action ends up pretty much in the middle.

It’s Worth Upgrading Your Seats At The If You Can At The Stockyards Rodeo

I also highly recommend upgrading your seats if you can.

And I’m talking paying an extra $10-$20 for better seats at the Cowtown Coliseum.

The best (most comfortable and spacious) seats are the gold spurs in the middle of the arena. These usually sell out first (now you see why you want to book in advance!)?.

The gold spur seats were already sold out so we opted for the silver spur seats. We ended up in the front row and had a mini booth. We were the only two people in the row, with only two people behind us.

The seats were just bridge chairs, so they aren’t as comfortable than the gold spur seats, but better than the small plastic ones in the general section. These were also a lot more spacious than sitting all crammed in and further up.

Should You Stay In The Fort Worth Stockyards?

You don’t need to stay in the Stockyards for the Stockyards Championship Rodeo. Like I said, downtown Fort Worth is about 10 minutes away by car. That’s where we stayed and it was nice to be able to get away from all the tourists at the end of the rodeo.

We stayed outside the stockyards in downtown Fort Worth at the Hampton Inn & Suites Fort Worth. It was one of the best Hampton Inns I’ve stayed at – with a bar in the lobby! Plus, we can also never say no to a free breakfast in the morning! For room rates & availability, click here.

If you are interested in staying in the Fort Worth Stockyards, we walked by Hotel Drover, Autograph Collection and it looked like a true western escape. It was towards the end of the stockyards and looked out onto Marine Creek. Plus, the outdoor pool was a real haven. For room rates & availability, click here

A more affordable option in the Stockyards is the Hyatt Place Fort Worth Stockyards. Just off of Exchange Ave, it still offers a bit of a break from the crowds as well. For room rates & availability, click here

For more hotels in Fort Worth Texas, click here.

Booking.com

If You Don’t Stay In The Stockyards: Where To Park For The Rodeo?

If you aren’t staying in the Fort Worth Stockyards for the rodeo, then you’ll want to plan to arrive a bit earlier to leave extra time to find parking.

You shouldn’t have an issue finding a spot though, there are a lot of parking lots. And as busy as it gets, there seems to be a constant flow of parking spots opening up. There’s just that many parking spaces!

There’s a parking lot at the Cowtown Coliseum, but if that one’s full, there are still at least 5 others within walking distance.

There are at least 4 parking lots just passed the Cowtown Coliseum (the two largest are at the end of the stockyards).

If you’re still having trouble, you might have the best luck parking off of Main street instead of Exchange Av. There’s another large parking lot just passed M.L. Leddy’s boot store.

All the parking lots work the same. You pay by license plate through you’re phone. There are signs set up throughout the lots with a QR code to scan.

Rodeo Ethics – Heads Up! Might Be Hard To Watch For Animal Lovers

I was a bit unaware before attending the rodeo that it’s not exactly great for the animals involved, but I also wasn’t surprised when I read about it afterwards… I’m not saying to not experience the rodeo at all, it’s just a warning for people who might not realize and would rather not watch certain events.

Bucking horses and bulls obviously isn’t safe for humans, but at least they have a say in it. It’s also isn’t healthy for the animals involved either.

To get the animals to buck, a strap is tightly fastened around the back of their abdomen. They end up with a plethora of health problems because the bucking motion isn’t natural for them to do.

But the worst event of them all was calf roping. I had to close my eyes for this one in fear that I mean see a calf break their neck in front of me. The rider tries to rope the calf around their neck yanking them backwards with full force.

If you are someone who is squeamish, or cares a lot about animal safety, then it might be hard for you to go to the rodeo and watch these events.

Knowing what I do now, I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to a rodeo. Even if the animals are treated well outside of the ring (which I do think – and really hope – that they are!).

Yearly Tournament Rodeos In Texas

Obviously, the Fort Worth Stockyards Championship Rodeo is really just for tourists to get a taste of the rodeo no matter when they’re visiting – which is much appreciated!

But! If you actually want to see a real tournament rodeo in Texas, then you might want to go to one of the following rodeos instead.

Texas rodeos will take place over a few days to a few weeks and will have multiple events throughout the days. Plus, at the larger rodeos, it turns into a full festival with a carnival, concerts, cook-offs, and more!

Fort Worth Rodeo (& Stock Show)

The Fort Worth Rodeo & Stock Show is the annual tournament rodeo in Forth Worth. It’s the longest continuously running rodeo in Texas since 1896.

This is 23 days of event and tournaments at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, it’s usually between January and February.

You can find out more here.

West Of The Pecos Rodeo

As I said, the first rodeo in Texas was in 1883 in Pecos. They still have a rodeo there today, known as the West of the Pecos Rodeo.

Today, it’s a 3 day outdoor rodeo that takes place in June. You can buy tickets here.

Keep in mind, there is not much else in Pecos Texas, or even in the area. The closest attraction is the Big Bend National Park.

Rodeo Austin

Perhaps one of the most convenient rodeos to attend in Texas is the Rodeo Austin, which takes place in March at the Travis County Exposition Center (about 20 minutes outside of the Austin the city centre).

They have a fair, cook off events, concerts and more! To find out more and buy tickets, click here.

Mesquite Championship Rodeo

If you’re in Dallas in June, you can go to the Mesquite Championship Rodeo in an indoor arena. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Dallas – you can find out more here.

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is actually one of the largest rodeos, held at the Astrodome with over 70 000 seats! It’s 3 weeks from February until March.

Similar to Rodeo Austin, there’s a lot going on and it’s more than just the rodeo. With BBQ contests, cook-offs, carnivals, live stock shows, auctions, and more!

Find out more and buy tickets for the The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo here.

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Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API