Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo returns for 129th year
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Fort Worth's Stockyards National Historic District still has daily cattle drives. Photo: Liao Pan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Dust off your Stetson and cowboy boots. The rodeo is back.
Why it matters: The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo begins Friday and will continue through Feb. 8.
- The nearly 130-year-old event draws more than 1 million attendees every year, funneling more than $200 million into the Fort Worth economy.
The big picture: The annual horse and livestock show points to why Fort Worth is called Cowtown. It's also Fort Worth's largest and oldest event.
State of play: This year's schedule includes concerts, a wine showcase, mariachi competition, pigeon show and celebrity goat milking. Other events feature kids and cowboys of color.
- The Fort Worth Stock Show Parade starts at 11am Saturday. You can see over 2,000 horses and marching bands.
- Keller native Austen Smith, who won two medals in skeet shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympics, will ride in a carriage with Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker.
Flashback: In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to visit Fort Worth. He planted a tree at the library.
- After leaving office, Roosevelt returned in 1911 to attend the stock show. He said he "jumped" at the chance to return to Cowtown.
The intrigue: Admission to the show was 25 cents in 1907. Now, tickets start at $30.
What's new: The city and the Stock Show spent $40 million to upgrade the livestock barns and build a new show arena as part of a plan to refurbish and update the Will Rogers Memorial Center, which was built in 1948.
- This year's show will offer more diverse food options, with new Turkish and Tex-Mex vendors.
Reality check: Exhibitors must treat each animal humanely and follow a list of health guidelines, per the show's rules.
If you go: The events are at the Will Rogers Coliseum and Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
- Parking is $20.
Worthy of your time: The Star-Telegram spent 24 hours behind the scenes of the stock show and rodeo last year.