This two-week even is held at the Reliant Stadium and the surrounding buildings, making it absolutely huge. The main events are the Rodeo and nightly entertainment. The night I was there Toby Keith was the singer. Our seats were great -- we were in a VIP section -- so had lots of sitting room and even a kind of lounge if we wanted to sit outside of the arena but still see and hear everything. We stayed in the arena.
The Rodeo began with the Grand Entry (I think that's what it's called). All the cowboys parade in, followed by a woman galloping in with the flag. They even had fireworks INSIDE the arena!
Then there were all of the rodeo events. Because the Rodeo is 2 weeks long, and they do the events nightly and then add up their scores for a cumulative total. Here are a couple of pictures of bronco busting, chuckwagon races, and barrel racing:
We don't want to forget the Rodeo clowns and the valuable service they provide in keeping the cowboys safe during bull riding:
There were 2 "fun" events -- something called "Calf Capture" (I think) and then Mutton Busting. In the Calf Capture there were 28 high school kids trying to catch & bridle 14 calves. Those that got one received a $500 certificate for their own calf to raise and sell next year at the Rodeo. The Mutton Busting was done by 5 and 6 year-olds. They had to ride a sheep, hanging on for dear life. It was great fun watching both events:
It was a great evening, and I'd go again in a heartbeat. If you ever have the chance to visit Houston during Rodeo time it will be a day you won't forget.
Laura
carold
Thanks for sharing. Linda
