Stock Show & Rodeo is set to saddle up in 2021
The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, whichwas able to complete its run this year before the pandemic struck, will be back in 2021, officials said Thursday.
Scheduled for Feb. 11-28, the event will take place at Freeman Coliseum, where it first was held in 1950. Its run there ended in 2003 when it moved to the newly built AT&T Center, said Lauren Sides, a rodeo spokeswoman.
The rodeo’s return to the Freeman Coliseum was the best option for the organization to give back as much money to Texans as possible, and to provide scholarships for future generations, Sides said.
“Since we first started, we have been able to give almost $223 million to Texas students so we are doing everything we can to keep that commitment we made to livestock education,” Sides said. “It is such a large part of what we do, last year we gave about $6.3 million to the youths competing in our livestock show.”
According to Sides, families that depend on the funds fromthe animals sales and the contractors, who raise the bucking stock used in the bull-riding and other events, would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“At the end of the day, we knew that no matter what, we needed to have an event for the livestock competitors to be able to earn those funds,” she said.
Typically, the rodeo consists of the livestock show, the rodeo and other large events, including concerts from major country musical acts. Last year, the event brought in Keith Urban, Dierks Bently, Brad Paisley and more.
A line-up has not been decided for this year, but Sides said additional information will be made available on the rodeo’s website in the coming months as it prepares for February.
The organization currently is working on how to safely host the event amid the pandemic, Sides said, and making sure that social distancing and other guidelines will be followed.
“We’re working on all of the aspects of howthat’s going to look inside the Freeman Coliseum, and all of that information will be made available in the coming months,” Sides said.
Tickets for the rodeo may be purchased at sarodeo.com and ticketmaster.com.
After the rodeo completed its 2020 run, the pandemic forced a slew of cancellations, including Fiesta, much of the Spurs’ season, Luminaria and Wurstfest in New Braunfels.