For the second year in a row, the Academy of Country Music has recognized the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as their Rodeo of the Year.
This recognition for 2022 was awarded to the RodeoHouston as part of the 16th Annual Academy of Country Music Honors and is given to a fair or rodeo that meets the criteria of a panel of judges responsible for the selection process.
Other nominees vying for the title included the Auburn Rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Florida Strawberry Festival and the Iowa State Fair.
Jason Kane, senior manager of entertainment & concert production at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, said the organization first received this award a year into COVID-19 in 2021. About three months ago, they got word that it would be coming home with them again.
“We are lucky to have the support of the entire Houston community, and that is what makes the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo what it is,” he said.
According to Kane, 35,000 volunteers cater to roughly 2.5 million people who walk through the gates of NRG Park during the three weeks the event runs, assisting with operations and any requests needed.
RodeoHouston is known for its 20-day concert series featuring well-known country and non-country performers, including Brad Paisley, Chris Stapleton, Machine Gun Kelly and Cardi B – who this past year broke the record for highest attendance at a show previously held by country star, Garth Brooks.
Kane said the rodeo officials provide top-notch assistance to these entertainers and top-tier athletes. For contestants, this means access to an entire medical staff, care for their families, quality meals and accommodations. For performers, they provide similar services and take care of any transportation needed to navigate the grounds.
Although the concerts and competitions may attract crowds, Kane said what sets the organization apart is its history and the work it does for the community. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has operated since 1932 and was only shut down three times – when it was canceled entirely in 1937 as its original site burned down, once with 11 days to go in 2020 and entirely in 2021 in both those cases because of the pandemic.
“Hard for any organization to equal that kind of longevity and to have this kind of success over such a long period of time,” Kane said.
And since starting up, RodeoHouston has committed to helping the community. One way they do so is by collecting funding for educational scholarships and grants. The organization has raised over half a billion dollars in total – with this past year’s total scholarship commitment at $22.5 million, according to Shelby Pipken, a senior manager of media relations and communications at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Next year’s Rodeo will run from Thursday, February 27, to Sunday, March 17 – opening an hour earlier on weekend days at 2:45 p.m.
Rodeo officials said they hope to bring back the drone show, a new addition to last year’s events, and other new elements that will be announced later in the fall.
“The entertainers will always be A-level entertainers, the cowboys will always be the best, and every year we make additions,” Kane said. “Everyone that comes regularly will see new features that they can enjoy.”
The 16th Annual Country Music Honors Awards Show will air on Monday, September 18, at 8 p.m.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
