Former Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo season-pass holder Ashley Harris opted this year to take her kids to NRG Stadium for a few hours on a Saturday, enjoy the carnival and leave before the Tim McGraw show. For Harris, this wasn’t her first rodeo, but it could be her last. She spent $300 and was there for just two hours.
“You spend a fortune just to park and walk onto the grounds,” said Harris, who works as a retail associate. “Then you end up spending $22 on a turkey leg. It’s just not worth it anymore. Next year we might just go to a friend’s house and let the kids play in the backyard with the dogs.”
Harris wasn’t the only one concerned about the rodeo costs. Lengthy social media threads popped up this month with commentary on the rising costs, dress code and suggestions on what could be improved.
Some Houstonians speculated that the city was unprepared for RodeoHouston to become a spring break destination, suggesting that inflated prices could be a way to manage crowds and keep out the riff-raff. If that was the game plan, it didn’t work, as HLSR saw more than 2.6 million visitors over its three-week duration, just slightly less than last year’s record-breaking attendance.
Those $22 turkey legs were the best-selling food item, followed by the sweet-and-savory fruit drink michelagua and jumbo corn dogs.
Standard, individual tickets for entrance to the rodeo started at $35 this year for adults and $10 for kids, providing access to the carnival area, food vendors, NRG Arena, demonstrations and the livestock show. A carnival ticket is $1.25 and most rides require three to eight tickets. Parking is about $25. A grounds ticket with no access to the rodeo is $25.
Concert tickets, depending on the performer, sell out quickly. Kelly Clarkson tickets were resold for about $200. A Conroe man told the Houston Press he paid $300 a pop for Chris Stapleton tickets. Many Houstonians opt to attend one concert per season and arrive early to enjoy the fairgrounds. It’s a splurge, but for some, it’s worth it for the experience.
Danielle Grossman, director of strategic communications for Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, said the staff always plans for big crowds and spring breakers. General admission tickets went up “a dollar or two” from last year due to inflation, but they attempt to keep the price increases minimal and encourage as many people as possible to attend.
“[Price increases] are a long-term planning thing. That happens at most organizations,” she said. “We try to offer an incredible value to our community. We want everyone, no matter their background, to feel like they can come and enjoy the rodeo and make memories. We haven’t had a noticeable increase in many years. It’s one of those things; If we want to provide all these free activities for folks, we have to find a way to compensate for it.”
On Family Wednesdays, admission is free for seniors 60 and over and children 12 and under before noon. Discounted food and rides are also offered on those days until 4 p.m. Community Day, held once a year, is free for everyone who arrives before noon. Free admission is available to active military members and four guests on Armed Forces Appreciation Day and for police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians and their families on First Responders Day.
“The attendance was strong this year, and spring break did bring a lot of folks out, which we did anticipate,” Grossman said. “We’ve seen a pretty consistent uptick every year since COVID. We prepare for that. We prepare based on numbers from the previous year and we hope everyone comes out to support us.”
Grossman added that rodeo guests often forget that their contributions support the education of thousands of youth, many of whom are first-generation high school students. This year’s winner in the grand champion steer auction earned about $85,000 that will pay for his college, she said.
“With the community coming out to support our event, that ultimately allows us to give away $30 million to support education in Texas,” she said. “We provide grants to our local nonprofits such as the zoo and the opera and all of these wonderful organizations. We provide our 4-H and FFA kids with scholarships. We provide our calf scramble kids with the funds to purchase a calf and raise it and bring it back and show it at our rodeo. Ultimately we are changing the lives of thousands of students every single year.”
The rodeo has an annual economic impact on the Greater Houston area of about $326 million, supporting 5,694 jobs, according to a 2024 report.
The price of a ticket supports the future of agriculture and livestock in Texas, Grossman added. “We have to remember where our food comes from,” she said. “We still need people to work on farms and invest in the industry and raise cattle.”
University of Houston political science lecturer Nancy Sims said the rodeo costs are not outrageous and people who attend plan to drop some cash. Some treat it like a family vacation, she said.
“You can go to the rodeo, pay the entrance fee and take a baby bag with some Cheerios and walk around the livestock show and all of that without spending a whole lot of money,” she said. “A little one is going to wear out pretty quickly. The rodeo is still a pretty good bargain.”
And food isn’t just expensive at the rodeo, Sims added. “Families are being hit at every angle,” she said. “Food costs more at the grocery store, at restaurants and at Jack in the Box. We’re in a tumultuous climate around the world that’s affecting how food is grown and sold.”
The food prices at RodeoHouston are set by vendors with whom HLSR contracts, and they’re likely responding to rising costs created by inflation and a lack of supply, Sims said. UH political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said there’s sticker shock when people look at their total bills — whether it be for groceries, at a restaurant or after a day at the rodeo — but they don’t necessarily feel it in the moment.
Beef prices reached record highs in early 2026, with ground beef averaging over $6 per pound — a roughly 12 percent to 19 percent increase from the previous year. Steak prices have exceeded $12 per pound. The elevated costs are driven by the lowest cattle herd sizes since 1961, drought and high demand.
“The public is still very concerned with the price of goods, be that gasoline, beef and a variety of things,” Sims said. “Their general grocery bills are consuming more of their income. When gas and food are increasing, it’s harder for people to survive.”
Harris says she recognizes that times are tough for everyone and while spending money on rent and food for her children are non-negotiable, going to the rodeo — and how much she spends there — is a choice.
“Right now, I don’t think I can go back next year, but I’d like to, if the economy ever straightens out,” she said.
