RodeoHouston: Everything to know about parking, food and tickets
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is among the family friendly event highlights of the year, but like so many live entertainment options costs can add up quickly. There are ways to save, however, including special lower-rate days and taking advantage of public transportation. Here is a breakdown of how much attending the annual event may cost this year, along with some money-saving tips.
With parking and admission, it costs one adult $45 to park at NRG Park and attend. That goes up to $65 if there are two adults, and $85 potentially for a family of four. There are upcoming special days on March 6 and 13 that allow free admission in the morning for seniors and children under age 12.
Public transportation
You can ride the MetroRail for $1.25 one-way, unless you qualify for discounted fare or you’re a rodeo gold or silver badge holder. The northbound service runs until 1:30 a.m. and southbound service until 3:20 a.m. every night except Sunday, when service ends earlier.
There are also three local bus routes that stop at or near NRG Park: 14 Hiram Clarke, 60 Cambridge and 84 Buffalo Speedway.
There are Park & Ride locations around the region with shuttles to NRG, according to the rodeo website, available at varying costs. Parking at 4675 S.
Braeswood, 8833 1/2 Gulf Freeway I-45 (southeast of Loop 610), 515 Maxey Road (north of I-10 and east of Loop 610) are free to park. The 4675 S. Braeswood and Gulf Freeway I-45 rides cost $7 per person round trip. Maxey Road Park & Ride costs $4 per person round-trip.
Park & Ride at 2400 Reed Road off Texas 288 costs $25 to
park — as much as NRG Park parking — but has a shuttle at no additional cost, according to the Rodeo website. The Woodlands Express from Spring requires a reservation.
You also could park a MetroRail stop away at Fannin South Transit Center for $20 (cash only), and everyone in the car receives a free round-trip rail ticket.
On-site parking
Parking costs $25 in NRG Park’s lots — the Yellow Lot at 9036 S. Main, the Loop 610 lot at 2000 W. Bellfort, and OST 1 lot at 2103 S Braeswood. Parking can be pre-purchased online. Yellow Lot is cashless while the other two accepts cash, according to the rodeo’s website.
ADA parking is available in the Blue and Yellow lots at $25 per car.
Rodeo admission
A single-day grounds ticket is $20 for everyone except children ages 3 through 12, who pay $10 a ticket. A grounds ticket gives access to all public rodeo activities at NRG Park, NRG Center and NRG Arena. It includes admission to the carnival, shopping and dining, livestock shows and horse shows.
A rodeo/concert ticket grants access to NRG Stadium for the rodeo and concert, in addition to NRG Arena and NRG Center. Prices for remaining available tickets range from $25 for an upper level seat to $45 for a loge level seat.
A season pass for daily access
costs $55.
Free admission on Wednesdays
Admission is free for seniors ages 60 and over, as well as children under age 12, until noon on March 6 and March 13. That does not include rodeo and concert admission.
Carnival costs
Carnival access is included in the grounds ticket price. However, the carnival tickets used for games and rides cost 50 cents each. Most rides require at least four tickets, so that’s at least $2 for a ride.
You can also cut lines with FastPass at the carnival for $30 per rider.
Lodging
For out-of-town visitors, most lodging ranges from $102 to $339 per night within a two-mile radius of NRG Stadium, according to listings on booking.com.
The average daily rate for short-term rentals in the NRG and Medical Center submarket in March 2023 was $173, higher than the $142 rate for the full year, according to A.J. Mistretta, vice president of communications at Houston First. Occupancy in March 2023 averaged 69% compared to the full-year occupancy average of 59%.
Food
Food costs vary, but some food is discounted at the Junction until 4 p.m. on March 6 and 13. Some commercial food vendors, such as Greek Grill and Sills Funnel Cakes and Food, will also have discounted food items those days. A full list is online.