City: San Antonio, TX

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (210) 225-5851

Address: 1 AT&T Pkwy.

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Description: Ready, set, rodeo! If you’re looking for a taste of a traditional Texas get-­together, attend this 16-day show and rodeo. One of San Antonio’s largest events, the annual Western festival attracts more than 1 million attendees every year. Activities include a rodeo, stock show, educational displays, a concert series, a carnival midway, and plenty of Western fun.The event is very family friendly. The Family Fair is a top stop for parents and kids, with educational displays, entertainment of special interest to younger visitors, plenty of food, and more. The Hall of Heritage takes visitors back to the days of the Old West. At the World of Agriculture, some of the state’s top cooks offer up a taste of their creations. Craftspeople are also on hand to display their wares. A favorite with children is the World of Animals, where kids and critters can get up close and cuddly. Kids also love the carnival midway, with rides, games of skill, and old-­fashioned fun. More than 1,000 cowboys and cowgirls provide much of the entertainment at the rodeo, which includes competition in the fields of bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and other sports sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA).The event also features America’s largest junior livestock show; teens from across Texas exhibit and sell award-­winning cattle, swine, sheep, poultry, and horses. The competition for the title of Grand Champion is fierce.Entertainment also comes in the form of live music, and that includes all types of Texas sounds, from Tejano to country to rock. Performers change every year, but top-­name performers at previous rodeos have included George Jones, Martina McBride, Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Alabama, and other recognized names. There’s a live performance every night.Parking is at a premium in the AT&T Center area during the rodeo, but there’s a 15-acre paved, lighted, and secured parking lot nearby on Gembler Road. To reach the parking facility, exit at AT&T Center Parkway (formerly Coliseum Road), turn left on Gembler, and proceed to the parking area. The free Rodeo Shuttle runs continuously from the parking lot. Cost of parking for the rodeo is $10.Tickets to rodeo competitions are priced at $10 and $25, with tickets also covering ground admission. Ground admission only is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for children under 12.