With more than 1.2 million guests annually over 22 days, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (FWSSR) is Fort Worth’s oldest and largest public event, providing fun entertainment and preserving the western lifestyle for over 120 years! The 2023 FWSSR will take place January 13-February 4 and will feature horse shows, livestock shows, rodeos, youth contests, concerts, and more.
In 1896, the first stock show was held in March on the banks of Marine Creek in north Fort Worth. Just two years later, local merchants began selling their products at the show in 1898. It wasn’t until 1907 that admission to the event was charged, which was $0.25. That same year, the Stock Show Association was formed, the first official horse show was held and construction on the Northside Coliseum began.
In 1918, the ‘World’s Original Indoor Rodeo’ was held as strictly a contest; and in 1922, the stock show brought in midway rides to add to the event’s activities. In 1936, the stock show adopted the established rodeo event lineup of the Cowboy’s Turtle Association, which eventually became what is known as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) today.
The Will Rogers Memorial Center became home to the stock show in 1944, and the barns began opening to accompany Will Rogers in 1948. 10 years later in 1958, the stock show became the first rodeo to receive complete live national television coverage.
The calf scramble was added as an important component of the junior livestock shows in 1986, which also included scholarships. In 1987, the name of the event was changed to the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show; and the Will Rogers Equestrian Center was constructed in 1988.
In 2002, the show expanded its schedule to 23 days. Many of the livestock facilities began undergoing renovations beginning in 2013; and in 2020, Dickies Arena became the event’s home for all rodeo action. The FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament made its debut that same year.
Livestock shows will include pigeons, poultry, goats, cattle, sheep, rabbits, swine and even sheep dogs, as well as a variety of 4H and FFA contests. Daily concerts will feature artists like Bart Crow, Micky & The Motorcars, Jarrod Morris, Jon Stork and many more. There will also be a midway/carnival and vendors open the entire duration of the event!
Rodeos the first week will include the Best of the West Ranch Rodeo, Best of Mexico Celebracion, Cowboys of Color Rodeo, Bulls Night Out Extreme Bull Riding and Texas Champions Challenge. The annual FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament will kick off Friday, January 20, and run through Saturday, February 4; and it will be held at Dickies Arena.
January 20-31, there will be seven brackets with two rounds in each bracket, and the top two money-earners in each bracket will advance to the semi-finals held February 2-3. On February 1, there will be a wild card round, where third place from each bracket and the highest money-earner in each event from all brackets will compete to also earn a spot at the semi-finals. The top two in each event from the wild card round will move on to the semi-finals.
From the semi-finals, the top four money-earners in each event from each of the two semi-finals rounds will advance to the championship round on February 4, where more than $1.1 million in prize money will be awarded!
General admission to the FWSSR is $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-16 and free for children under 5; and it includes admission to all of the non-ticketed attractions on the grounds. General admission can be purchased at any gate.
Rodeo tickets can be purchased separately and include general admission to the grounds and the non-ticketed attractions for the day of that rodeo performance. To purchase rodeo tickets, visit https://www.fwssr.com/p/tickets.
Discounts are available for seniors every day, as well as on Dickies Day, Texas A&M Day, TCU Day, Military Appreciation Day and Texas Tech Day. Below you can find a list of all the rodeo performances and special days, and a complete stock show schedule can be found at https://www.fwssr.com/events.
Fort Worth will be a great place to be for everyone in the western industry in January and February, so we hope to see you there!
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