The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is a numbers game — and from seconds in the saddle to attendance to cattle sale prices, stock show organizers hope the numbers add up to another year of record-breaking success.
The Stock Show and Rodeo runs Jan. 12-Feb. 3. Last year, the annual event broke an attendance record, marking 1.27 million visitors and breaking the previous record set in 2020, organizers said. On its busiest day, Jan. 28, the show saw nearly 163,000 visitors.
One of the show’s main events, the Sale of Champions, also broke a record when the grand champion steer, a 1,343-pound heavyweight black European Cross, sold for $440,000.
Stock show spokesman Matt Brockman wrote in a statement to the Fort Worth Report that they are anticipating another good year of attendance. Weather has a big impact on how many visitors come out on a particular day, he said, but notes the record numbers were reached last year despite the few days of ice. This year, Mother Nature holds good prospects.
“The Weather Channel’s 30-day forecast projects temps to be mostly moderate (many days’ highs in the upper 50s and low 60s) so we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll have another great year,” Brockman wrote.
Those attending the stock show and parade this weekend will be met with the coolest air of the season, David Bonnette, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said. Below-freezing temperatures will move in Thursday night. Friday and Saturday will range between the 40s and 50s, but the area will receive a reinforcing shot of cold air later in the weekend and early next week.
“’I’d say there is a potential for some winter (precipitation) with this system early next week,” Bonnette said. “Be sure to monitor the forecast and keep up with it as we go into the weekend.”
Although there will be colder temperatures, Brockman notes that the majority of the stock show’s events are indoors.
The Stock Show and Rodeo contributes millions to the local economy. In one estimate by the firm PredictHQ, it was ranked No. 3 nationwide among events with the largest economic impact in February 2023, generating more than $142 million. The biggest impact was on local restaurants and hotels.
Local business owners get involved with the show, too. Mike Micallef, president of Reata restaurant in downtown Fort Worth, holds an annual contest to guess his step count during the stock show. This year, he plans to donate $200 to the charity that makes the closest guess. Last year, he walked 345,711 steps, he said on his Facebook page.
More than 3,000 horses will parade along the streets of Fort Worth on Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. during the show’s All-Western Parade.The parade is free to the public. Reserved seating tickets cost $20 at Sundance Square or $12 at the Convention Center and can be ordered at the Dickies Arena box office or by calling 817-502-0011. Tickets have to be picked up at the Dickies Arena box office located at 1911 Montgomery St.
General admission to the stock show grounds is $12 for adults, $6 for children. Rodeo tickets start at $46. A full list of events can be found online on the stock show’s website.
Seth Bodine is a business and economic development reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at seth.bodine@fortworthreport.org or @sbodine120.
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