Houston Rodeo Tickets : Houston Rodeo Attendance Reached A Record High Of 2.2 Million

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston

, is the world's largest live entertainment and livestock exhibition. It also includes the richest regular-season PRCA rodeo event. It has been held at Reliant Astrodome, formerly just the Astrodome in Houston, Texas since 1966.

In 2010, attendance reached a record high of 2.2 million, requiring more than 22,000 volunteers. In 2007, the Rodeo was deemed "the year of the volunteer." The event is 20 days long. It is kicked off by the Downtown Rodeo Roundup held near Houston City Hall, the Downtown Rodeo parade and the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run - 5k walk & run and the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest.

The Show features championship Rodeo action including bull riding, livestock judging, concerts, a carnival, pig racing, barbecue and the Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition, shopping, sales and livestock auctions. Traditional trail rides, which start in different areas of Texas and end in Houston, precede the Rodeo events. The City of Houston celebrates this event with Go Texan Days, where residents are encouraged to dress in western wear for the duration of the Show.

The rodeo has drawn some of the world's biggest recording artists (particularly country music artists), including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Selena, Bon Jovi, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others.

The wide variety of entertainment at The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has proven to be a popular feature of the event, as it caters to a multitude of tastes. Previous performers include country, rock, blues, Tejano, and pop musicians, stand-up comedians, and even actors.

The Friday before the Parade is also known as "Go Texan Day," where the entire population of Houston is encouraged to dress in Western attire, such as jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats. While the concept was discussed in 1938 by the General Manager of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, it wasn't until the 1950s that it finally was put into practice. In 1954, Archer Romero chaired the first Go Texan Committee to encourage what would later become a Houston tradition during the rodeo.

In 1937, planning had begun for the first Rodeo Parade leading up to the 1938 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The first parade was headed by Mounted Police and various dignitaries on the city, county, and state levels, who also rode horseback. There were two bands with a Drum and Bugle Corp.

In 1952, the Salt Grass Trail ride was the first trail ride that was formed by only a few men. The following year, the publicity from that ride attracted more people to join.All of the Trail Riders converge on Memorial Park to camp out for the night before heading down Memorial Drive to where it empties out onto Texas Ave to line up for the parade.

The parade has approximately 115 different groups joining in the festivities. There are 15 trail rides, 20 floats, 15 commercial wagons and stagecoaches, and 10 to 15 university and high-school marching bands in addition to Show officials, other elected officials and dignitaries on horseback and in vehicles.

The World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, also simply known as "The Cookoff," started in 1974 and has consistently drawn massive attendance numbers for the three-day event, drawing 217,640 visitors in 2009. It takes place on the southern parking lot of Reliant Stadium, with over 250 teams participating every year, and is generally considered a "Hot Ticket," as most are for members or by invitation only. While the event is open to the general public, those that can get into the tents are generally allowed an unlimited amount of food and beverages.

Since the addition of the event in 1942, it has been one of the more popular events during the actual rodeo. The event features 14 calves and 28 students who must try to capture one of the calves, put a harness on it and bring it back into the "winners square" in order to claim the win. One of the rules is that as long as a contestant is actually in the act of holding the calf (i.e. Holding it by the tail) to get the harness on, no other participant may interfere unless the calf wriggles itself free. It's at this point where the calf is fair game once again.

by: Barbara Herbert

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