Don’t bury those boots yet, RodeoHouston dates announced for 2023

HOUSTON – Don’t put those boots too far back in the closet city folks, we know when you can wear them again. That’s because the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has already announced the dates for next year’s event.

This year, we had an unforgettable rodeo, with smash performances from George Strait to Gwen Stefani to Bun B’s H-Town Takeover, making 2022 a tough act to follow.

But no worries, the RodeoHouston gang is already hard at work planning something special for the 91st year.

The event will be held Feb. 28 - March 19, 2023, with the World Championship Bar-B-Que Cookoff watering mouths between Feb. 23 - 25.

So “giddy up” cowboys and cowgirls, get ready to boot-scoot boogey, mount those saddles, and every other corny line we can think of to let you know - the fun will be back and we are here for it!

To remind you, here is a wrap-up of how 2022 went down.

By the numbers: The Houston Rodeo’s 90th year

🎫 Attendance:

• Total attendance for all activities on the grounds, Feb. 24 – 26 (World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, presented by Cotton Holdings) and Feb. 28 – March 20, 2022 (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo) reached 2,417,248.
• In three days, the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest entertained 158,215 guests.
• Showtime highest daily total attendance from 2022: first: Saturday, March 19, 2022 – 174,735 second: Wednesday, March 16, 2022 – 159,931 third: Friday, March 18, 2022 – 159,656 fourth: Saturday, March 12, 2022 – 138,338 fifth: Saturday, March 5, 2022 – 136,600
• Paid rodeo/concert attendance reached 1,301,529. Highest paid rodeo/concert performances from 2022: first: Friday, March 18, 2022 – Marshmello – 73,866; second: Thursday, March 17, 2022 – Chris Stapleton - 73,757; third: Friday, March 11, 2022 – Black Heritage Day, presented by Kroger – Bun B’s H-Town Takeover – 73,259; fourth: Friday, March 12, 2022 – Parker McCollum – 73,243; fifth: Saturday, March 5, 2022 – Jon Pardi – 72,857
• The Sunday, March 20, concert-only performance with George Strait, and special guest Ashley McBryde, had a paid concert attendance of 79,456.
  

🎠 At the carnival:

• Approximately 2.9 million rides were taken at the carnival.
• The three most popular rides were La Grande XL, Sky Ride and the Titan.
• 100 trailers full of carnival prizes were brought to the 2022 Rodeo.
• Approximately 675,000 prizes were won at the games. The most popular prizes were Squishmallows, basketballs and teddy bears.
• The most popular food items were turkey legs, corn dogs, fried Oreos and funnel cakes.
• The Cookie Stand baked more than 250,000 cookies.
  

MORE: From ‘Best Fried Food’ to ‘Best Food-on-a-Stick,’ here are RodeoHouston’s award-winning eats

🐣 Agventure:

• Approximately 67,000 people participated in a scheduled school tour or field trip.
• Nearly 16,000 little cowboys and cowgirls rode the pony rides.
• More than 760 chicks hatched in the Poultry Exhibit.
• Thirty-two piglets, 17 lambs and 15 calves were born at the Birthing Center.
  

🤠 Houston Rodeo merchandise:

• More than 200,000 individual items of Rodeo and entertainer merchandise went home with fans, including 130,000 caps and T-shirts, 10,000 mugs and tumblers, and 12,000 lapel pins.
  

MORE: Houston Rodeo art you have to see: 72 outstanding creations from 2022′s fierce student art contest

🐮 Livestock and horse show:

• Livestock and horse show competitions drew 34,310 entries.
• Junior auction sales totaled $20,205,413 (unaudited preliminary totals).- Barrow: $3,482,146- Junior Commercial Steer: $1,075,636 (live auction of choice steers)- Lamb and Goat: $3,209,725- Poultry: $2,799,143- School Art: $2,317,237- Steer: $7,878,482
• Eleven auction Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion lots set Rodeo records.Junior Market BarrowGrand Champion: $250,000 (Rodeo record)Reserve Grand Champion: $200,000 (Rodeo record)Junior Market Pen of BroilersGrand Champion: $200,000Reserve Grand Champion: $145,000Junior Market GoatGrand Champion: $210,000 (Rodeo record)Reserve Grand Champion: $190,000 (Rodeo record)Junior Market LambGrand Champion: $300,000Reserve Grand Champion: $185,000 (Rodeo record)Junior Market SteerGrand Champion: $1,000,000 (Rodeo record)Past Rodeo president and chairman of the board and current Executive Committee member Don D. Jordan and family make historic $1 million purchase, commemorating 90 years of Rodeo and Jordan’s upcoming 90th birthday.Reserve Grand Champion: $675,000 (Rodeo record)Junior Market TurkeyGrand Champion: $195,000 (Rodeo record)Reserve Grand Champion: $120,000School ArtGrand Champion: $250,000 (Rodeo record)Reserve Grand Champion: $265,000 (Rodeo record)WineGrand Champion: $250,000 (Rodeo record)Reserve Grand Champion: $200,000
• Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction: $3,210,212
• Ranching & Wildlife: $405,290
• Calf scramble and judging contest winners received 374 certificates, each worth $2,250, to apply toward the purchase of a registered beef heifer or steer to exhibit at the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Certificate premiums totaled $841,500.
• Calf scramble exhibitors from 2021 who returned with their heifer or steer projects to compete at the 2022 Houston Livestock Show received more than $100,000 total in premiums and awards.
• The Super Scramble competition was added in 2022, where the 19 “First Catch” scramblers from each of the previous 19 Calf Scramble performances were invited to participate in the event Saturday, March 19, 2022. The 19 scramblers had an extra chance to catch one of the nine calves during the event, and each participant was awarded a cash prize based on their performance. The event awarded an additional $42,000 in cash prizes for Texas youth.
  

MORE: Former RodeoHouston president makes record-breaking $1 million purchase of Grand Champion Steer