The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officially begins on Monday, March 2. But several events, such as the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest and the Downtown Rodeo Parade, will take place this weekend to usher in the historic event.
Here's what you need to know about the 2026 Houston rodeo, including major events, concerts and parking.
World Championship Bar-B-Que Contest: Feb. 26-28
The2026 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contestwill begin Thursday, Feb. 26, and feature more than 250 teams competing to be named the grand champion, with several other awards also up for grabs.
While most teams' tents will not be open to the public, visitors can still buy tickets to the contest and enjoy the carnival as well as live musical performances at The Garden Stage and the Rockin' Bar-B-Que Saloon.
The Bar-B-Que Contest schedule is as follows:
- 5-11 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26
- noon-11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27
- 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28
The contest's awards presentation will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at The Garden Stage.
Bar-B-Que Contest tickets are $30 for adults and children under 13. Tickets for children ages 3 to 12 are $10, and children 2 and under get in free. Tickets to the contest include concerts at The Garden Stage, complimentary sliced brisket, beans and chips, and admission to the carnival and saloon. Admission to the carnival does not include rides or games.
Grounds season passes are available for $65 per person and include daily admission to the Bar-B-Que Contest and all public activities at NRG Park, NRG Center and NRG Area. Admission to the carnival is also included, but does not include rides or games. Concerts inside NRG Stadium, which follow rodeo performances, are not included with the grounds season pass.
Downtown Rodeo Parade: Feb. 28
The Downtown Rodeo Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Soctt Ruskan will be the grand marshal of the parade. Ruskan, a rescue swimmer, gained national recognition for his lifesaving work during the July 4 flash floods in Kerr County. According to the rodeo, 26-year-old Ruskan saved 165 children from the floodwaters.
The parade, which first began in 1938, will feature decorative floats and thousands of cowboys and cowgirls on horseback. Many of those on horseback will be part of the 12 different trail rides, which begantraveling to Houston last weekendin preparation for the rodeo.
The parade route will begin at Bagby and Walker streets, travel from Travis Street to Bell street and from Bell to Louisiana Street. It will then turn onto Lamar Street and end at Lamar and Bagby.
Street closures in the area will begin Saturday morning at approximately 8:30 a.m. and are expected to reopen at around 2 p.m.
Parking will be available at public parking garages in downtown Houston and the Theater District. Parking fees will vary depending on location.
Rodeo officials ask that parade attendees arrive early to secure a spot. The parade will be best visible on Louisiana from Bell to Lamar Street and from Louisiana to Smith Smith. Bagby and Walker streets from Sabine Street to Bagby will be off limits, according to the rodeo.
Dirt Day: Feb. 25
On Wednesday, the Houston rodeo transported and delivered 550 loads of dirt to NRG Stadium to prepare the arena for the rodeo events. According to the rodeo, more than 4,000 cubic yards of dirt were used.
The current rodeo dirt is 4 years old, with the last round of dirt being used for 10 years. It takes workers approximately 10 hours to move the dirt into NRG Stadium and prepare the grounds for the rodeo.
Rodeo ticket sales and important events
Rodeo grounds tickets are available and cost $25 for adults or $10 for children ages 3-12.
Weekday rodeos start at 6:45 p.m., while weekend rodeo performances start at 2:45 p.m.
Pre-rodeo events:
- Feb. 22: Rodeo Uncorked! Wine Show at NRG Center
- Feb. 26–28: World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at NRG Park
- Feb. 27: Go Texan Day in downtown Houston and across the region
- Feb. 28: Rodeo Run and Downtown Parade in downtown Houston
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Daily rodeo events from March 2-22:
- Agventure in Hall A of NRG Center
- The Carnival on the Rodeo Grounds
- The Champion Wine Garden outside NRG Stadium
- The Junction Stage on the Rodeo Grounds (live music, open to the public)
- The Hideout outside NRG Arena (honky tonk, ages 21 and up)
- Drone show
- Gold Buckle Foodie Trail
- Shopping and dining
- The Junction (kid-focused area)
There are also six live music stages throughout the rodeo grounds, offering performances to the public.
Special days:
- March 4 and March 18: Family Wednesdays (free grounds admission for seniors over 60 and children under 12 until noon)
- March 4: Armed Forces Day
- March 6: Black Heritage Day
- March 9: First Responders Day
- March 12: Volunteer Appreciation Day
- March 15: Go Tejano Day
Rodeo concert tickets
Throughout the course of the rodeo, prominent musical artists will be performing nearly every night at NRG Stadium.
Rodeo and concert tickets are sold together and also get you access to the rodeo grounds, which includes the carnival, livestock shows and shopping.
RELATED: Here’s the Houston rodeo lineup for 2026
Weekday concerts start at 9:15 p.m., while weekend concerts start at 5:15 p.m.
Some concerts have already sold out through the rodeo, but resale tickets are still available for all shows, typically at a higher price.
According to the rodeo, all tickets should be purchased throughrodeohouston.comdirectly to ensure validity. However, tickets can still be found on third-party websites.
Here is a list of the concerts, grouped by availability.
Sold out/resale only:
- Lizzo (March 6, Black Heritage Day)
- Forrest Frank (March 8)
- Megan Moroney (March 10)
- Creed (March 11, Community Day)
- Chris Stapleton (March 12, Volunteer Appreciation Day)
- Kelly Clarkson (March 14)
- Lainey Wilson (March 19)
- Tim McGraw (March 21, RodeoHouston Finals)
Close to selling out (as of Wednesday, Feb. 25):
- Riley Green (March 2, opening day)
- J Balvin (March 3)
- Dwight Yoakam (March 7)
- Shaboozey (March 13)
- Parker McCollum (March 20)
Few standard tickets remain:
- Rascal Flatts (March 4, Armed Forces Appreciation Day)
- Luke Bryan (March 9, First Responders Appreciation Day)
- Red Clay Strays (March 17)
- Cody Johnson (March 22, concert only with no rodeo performance)
Many standard tickets remain:
- Russell Dickerson (March 5, Sensory Friendly Day)
- Pepe Aguilar (March 15, Go Tejano Day)
- Cross Canadian Ragweed (March 16)
- Koe Wetzel (March 18)
Rodeo parking and transportation
There are three parking lots at NRG Park open to rodeo attendees. Parking costs $25 at each lot, and all of the rodeo's lots are cashless.
NRG Yellow Lot:
- Opens at 6 a.m. daily
- 9003 S Main St, Houston, TX 77054
NRG 610 Lot:
- Open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
- 2100 W Bellfort Blvd, Houston, TX 77054
NRG OST Lot:
- Open Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to close and Saturday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to close.
- 2103 South Braeswood, Houston, TX 77054
All three of the lots are walkable, according to the rodeo. The Yellow and 610 lots feature a parking lot tram to and from the rodeo, while the OST lot features a shuttle bus for visitors.
Several "satellite lots" are also available around the greater Houston area. Attendees can park at one of the satellite lots and then ride a bus to the NRG Center or NRG Arena.
Rideshare and taxi drop-off and pickup will be at the east end of Yellow Lot 35, close to Lantern Point and McNee Road. Rideshare vehicles will enter from Yellow Lot 16B from Main Street.
Public passenger drop-off will be at Gate 9 off Kirby Drive. Kirby Drive will be closed at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends.
Houston residents and rodeo visitors can also take the METRORail to and from the rodeo for a $1.25 each way. Details on specific stops and times can be found on theMETRORail website.
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