Houston March 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Horse shows, Pig races, mutton bustin', Cow birthing a calf

 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo HLSR promotes agriculture and Western heritage, hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public.

The show features championship rodeo action, livestock competitions, concerts, a carnival, pig racing, etc

Established in 1932 in Houston, Texas, held at NRG Stadium since 2003, this  charitable organization is the world's largest livestock exhibition and rodeo.

This year 2026 (March 2–22) features a 21-day, tournament-style rodeo with 8,000+ competitors, nightly concerts from stars like Cody Johnson and Lainey Wilson, a carnival, and championship BBQ. Key events include the RODEOHOUSTON Super Series, Go Tejano Day, and daily livestock competitions at NRG Park. 

We had not been to the rodeo in 15 years, son had a corporate pass and we visited on Friday Mar 6th and had a great time. We were at the gates at 11, the crowd was sparse . Special parking at the teal lot was such a treat

Map...

BOOT ROW

on our way into NRG Park on what's called Boot Row. It's a walkway lined with 10, 6-foot tall boots. six artists  painted the giant boots. 

All look amazing and set the mood!

 A small cute fountain here...

Topiary animals

These topiary animals were previously near our home at Galleria area but the garden shop had disappeared after covid lockdown. We were so glad to see they are alive and kicking and have a pride of place in this rodeo

John Deere tractor on display

The rides were waiting for peak rush

Kiosks too were still closed

Pig race

There were 4 races with different sized pigs. 

The galleries are numbered 1-4 and support the same number pig. There is a kid cheer leader from each gallery and they get  a plastic snout and candy if their pig wins,

The anchor was quite funny... the names of the pigs were hilarious... Brad Pig, Sydney Swiney, Kim Kardash a ham etc

carousel

Mutton bustin 

it is a popular rodeo event where children, typically ages 4–7 and under 55–60 lbs, ride sheep to see how long they can hold on. It serves as a "junior," version of bull riding to introduce kids to rodeo,  featuring protective gear like helmets and focusing on riding form rather than just time

was fun to watch. There were some 20 entries per show, the sheep are pretty fast and leap in the air too. A couple of kids rode the whole length. The anchor was quite funny. 

The kids wear a wrist tag with number matching their guardian's wrist tag to facilitate handing them over to the right person after the event. 

Horse show

We next went on to the horse show.

Saw a couple of events there

Team roping 

 Team roping is a timed rodeo event in which  riders, called the header and the heeler, work together to rope a loose steer (a castrated bull).

Their goal is to catch and control the steer as quickly and cleanly as possible, requiring precise timing, technical skill, and coordination between both riders and their horses.

The event begins when a steer is released from a chute and given a head start into the arena. The header rides out first and ropes the front of the steer, most often around the horns, though catches around the neck or a single horn are also permitted under team roping rules.

After securing the steer, the header dallies (wraps the rope around the saddle horn) and turns the steer to the left, creating an angle for the heeler to make the final catch.

 

saw some nice merchandise

Livestock Show

We went to the tram stop and took the golf cart to the livestock show pavilion

Watched the birth of a calf

There was a huge crowd around this stall and this cow Pearl birthed a calf. The calf came out with hind legs first and landed a tad heavily. Here the mom is licking her calf clean, his eyes looked a little glazed initially as we can see from the video but he slowly recovered. 

The calf is supposed to stand on its feet in an hour and nurse in 2 hours. But this one could not stand, his hind legs probably a little hurt with the fall when he was born

We went to look at nearby stalls

This pig had 8 newborns, just a day old. Probably a 1st time mom, because usually there are 18 piglets per birth! 

Texas longhorn...

Kids were belted up and taking a pony ride 

We went down a rabbit hole, saw several rabbits

Came back to check in on our new mom, calf... here is Pearl, placenta still not detached.

Calf still not on his feet!

Milking demo

The guy explained dairy operations, 

this poor cow was not giving much milk for the demo because she was not getting adequate sleep in the strange surroundings with lights on all the time!!

Owners were parading their pigs for prizes

We came back again to check on Pearl... the calf has been named Popcorn.

He was being bottle fed

Then the girl tried to make him stand supporting his hind legs, he still buckled down and sat.

He's likely to get OK after some time

Which came first... eggs or chicken?

not sure of the answer but the chicks and the adult hens/roosters look real cute!

Saw eggs hatching... amazing sight

Petting Farm

Car displays

Mariarchi band

Award winning exhibits by students

We did have  booth entry tickets for the concert by Lizzo and it would have been a nice experience but we had been on our feet for more than 6 hours and called it a day!

See y'all on another great adventure soon!