Although Austin is the capital of the Lone Star State, some Texans feel that the city’s metropolitan vibe and artistic energy make it a bit of an anomaly, appealing to different sensibilities than the frontier spirit of Texas’ more rural districts.

But while Austin joins other American cities like Portland and Brooklyn as a prime destination for young creatives, it’s still home to plenty of classically Texan activities and events, like barbecue cookouts, honky-tonk nights at local dance halls—and, of course, the rodeo. 

An annual two-week event scheduled from March 14-28 this year, Rodeo Austin has been an ATX institution since the late 1930s. Guests flock to the Travis County Exposition Center in Far East Austin to watch professional rodeo stars wrangle, ride, and compete. If you’d like to be among these live rodeo fans this year, here’s everything you need to know.

Woman on horseback
Barrel Racing Championship / Photo by Dulcey Lima

What is Rodeo Austin?

At its essence, a rodeo is an exhibition event featuring performances from and competitions between “cowboys” (aka professionally trained horseback riders and livestock herders). Rodeo Austin gives audiences the opportunity to witness classic rodeo shows like bareback riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and lassoing, and bull riding. 

Rodeo Austin is a ProRodeo event backed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, meaning that the participating riders and competitors are elite athletes proud to represent this longstanding Texas tradition. 

What events and activities can Rodeo Austin attendees enjoy? 

The rodeo exhibitions at Rodeo Austin happen in two-hour performance blocks, with one block scheduled for each day of the festival. During those time periods, the rodeo athletes participate in the classic events mentioned above, plus additional shows like team roping, a collaborative lasso display; barrel racing, an all-female precision riding competition; “Bullfighters and Rodeo Clowns,” a comic bullfighting show; and the smash-hit “Mutton Bustin’” show, in which child riders ride out of the rodeo shoot atop a sheep “steed.” 

In addition to the rodeo itself, Rodeo Austin hosts a rightfully famous livestock show, in which over 8,000 animals will compete for top honors. Farmers and raisers bring their finest poultry birds, sheep and goats, pigs, and cattle for evaluation, and even young farmers can get in on the action in events like the Youth Texas Longhorn Show.

Each evening of the Rodeo also includes a live musical performance on the Exposition Center’s main stage. This year’s lineup includes acts like 98 Degrees, Neon Trees, Ryan Bingham, Sara Evans, Melissa Etheridge, and more. 

During the Rodeo’s fortnight run, the Exposition Center’s fairgrounds provide a setting for the Rodeo Carnival, a highly family-friendly aspect of the festival where rodeo fans and their little ones can enjoy rides, games, treats like cotton candy and funnel cakes, and live performances from country, pop, and rock bands on the outdoor stage. 

Kids and their folks also have access to Kidstown, an installation on the northside of the fairgrounds with a petting zoo, a butterfly garden, pony rides, and other activities designed for children under 10. 

Foodies, grill masters, and barbecue enthusiasts of all stripes wait all year long for BBQ Austin, an Exposition Center event that serves as a prelude to Rodeo Austin. Taking place on March 6 and 7, this festival celebrates Texas barbecue in all its incarnations with top barbecue teams from all over the state offering up samples of their best-grilled goods to hungry visitors. 

The event culminates into a competition with each team hoping to wow both judges and spectators and walk away with a “Best In Show” award. 

How do you get to Rodeo Austin? 

Motorists (or riders arriving in a shared vehicle like an Uber, a Lyft, or a RideAustin car) can easily access the Travis County Exposition Center via area highways like U.S. Route 290, State Highway 130,  and U.S. Route 183. The drive from Downtown Austin to the Exposition Center takes between 20-30 minutes in each direction. 

Attendees relying on public transit have options in the form of CapMetro routes 233, 237, 337, and 339, all of which have stops within walking distance of the Exposition Center.

Which neighborhood is Rodeo Austin in, and what else can you do there?

The section of East Austin that houses the Travis County Exposition Center remains largely residential and quiet, even as the parts of East Austin closer to Downtown become ever more popular (with ever-more-expensive real estate).

The park that contains the Exposition Center, Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park, is the city’s largest, and outdoorsy Austinites head there on a regular basis for picnicking, biking, and running, along with boating and swimming in the 1200-acre Lake Walter E. Long.

While Far East Austin lacks the abundant eateries and nightlife venues of its more central counterpart, said counterpart can be reached through a very brief drive or bus ride, giving Rodeo Austin guests infinite possibilities for a nightcap or a restaurant dinner after the festivities. 

The neighborhood Mueller is also located nearby, with attractions like an Alamo Drafthouse cinema outpost, the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In, the Texas Farmers Market at Mueller, the Mueller Market District shopping center and the Thinkery Children’s Museum.