The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo plans to build a new $300 million agricultural complex off of Highway 288, a few miles south of NRG Park, with a new arena, central building and ranching facilities. Rodeo officials, though, said they are not leaving NRG Park — the annual event’s home for decades — in the near future.
The complex is entirely funded by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR), president and CEO Chris Boleman told Houston Public Media. After a groundbreaking ceremony slated for late 2026, the facility is expected to be put to use for the 2029 rodeo.
"As we approach our 100-year anniversary in 2032, this is a part of our vision of expansion," Boleman said. "We've been working on it for a long time, really since about 2019."
Rodeo officials, including Boleman, emphasized that HLSR plans to remain at NRG Park, utilizing NRG Stadium and the NRG Center for the rodeo. This fall, NRG Park plans to return to the name of Reliant Park, renaming each of those facilities as well.
The NRG Park complex, which also includes the long-dormant Astrodome, is owned and operated by Harris County and leased to the rodeo as well as the NFL’s Houston Texans. The Texans, whose lease expires in 2032, are building a team headquarters and training facility in the Cypress area.
Some of the rodeo’s livestock shows and competitions will be housed at the new agricultural complex. Rodeo officials plan to move all horse show competitions, some livestock shows, junior and open breeding shows, archery competitions, agricultural mechanics, commercial auctions and educational contests, including 4-H and intercollegiate programming, to the new facility, according to a news release.
"We're in this growth phase, and we actually think it will help with congestion, with transportation," Boleman said. "It allows for more space to activate, and, to us, it's a real commitment, in our opinion, that we're not going anywhere."
The complex will also include two large barns, a central air-conditioned space, an outdoor covered cattle yard and new auction halls. The arena inside the complex will include roughly 5,000 seats and can even be used for concerts and similar events.
During the offseason, rodeo officials say the facility will be used year-round for educational programs, committee meetings, fundraisers and other events. The complex will be built on the northwest corner of Airport Boulevard and Highway 288.
That site is where the rodeo already owns property, and it's used as a satellite parking space for people riding to NRG Park during the rodeo. Boleman said that service will continue, and now riders can go to the complex from NRG Park to see the shows that are being relocated.
"Obviously there is concern are we moving, and the answer is we’ve made a commitment," Boleman said. "We’ve been very clear that this is our home. And this, to us, is the next stage of involvement and growth."
The NRG Arena was built in the 1970s by the rodeo and was gifted to Harris County to own and maintain, Boleman said. Rodeo officials are deferring to the county on how to proceed with NRG Arena, which Boleman characterized as being at the end of its life.
"If the arena is still there in 2029, we would find new ways to program it," Boleman said. "If the arena's not there — the county decides that it's ended its life — then we would use that open space to do other types of programming."
Boleman called the move "very similar" to the Texans' forthcoming move off site. In February, the team announced it was working with Harris County officials and developers on the “Toro District” in northwest Harris County, while still playing at NRG Stadium.
One of the benefits of the new agricultural complex is that, in contrast to NRG Arena, the rodeo would have ownership of this new venue.
The relationship between Harris County ownership of the park and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo came to a head when Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who was an ex-officio director of the rodeo at the time, accused rodeo security of threatening and removing her from a rodeo concert. That resulted in a public spat between Hidalgo and the rodeo, the latter of which stripped her rodeo title and disputed her claims. In social media statements during the incident, Hidalgo called herself "landlord" of NRG Stadium and questioned her treatment.
In an interview, Boleman stated the fallout with Hidalgo did not play a role in the decision to open a new offsite facility owned and managed directly by the rodeo, saying event officials had a great relationship with county-level officials, including Commissioner Rodney Ellis, whose precinct includes the new facility.
“This new agricultural complex along Highway 288 will enhance Houston’s position as a leader in agriculture and education while creating year-round opportunities for the families and young people of Harris County," Ellis said in a news release. "A facility of this scale will expand access to opportunities that change lives. It’s a bold step forward, and one our community can be proud of.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, too, praised the development of the new facility, saying in a news release that it "expands educational opportunities for young people, strengthens our city's reputation, and does so without placing any burden on taxpayers. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo continues to be a great partner to the Houston community."
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