Rodeo News

The San Diego Rodeo Rides Back into Town

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San Diego, California – The San Diego Rodeo returns to Petco Park on January 10-12, celebrating the spirit and history of California’s Western culture in the heart of downtown San Diego. Following the success of January’s inaugural San Diego Rodeo, the three-day family-friendly event will continue its history-making tradition as the first and only rodeo ever held in Petco Park.

The 2025 San Diego Rodeo will feature more than 100 of the world’s top rodeo athletes, competing for more than $800,000 in prize money. More than 45,580 people attended the 2024 Rodeo across three nights, resulting in more than 6,000 hotel room nights and over $1.5 million injected into the local economy from hotel stays alone. The 2025 rodeo will have an expanded event space to accommodate a larger crowd and to keep up with demand. New for the 2025 Rodeo, there will be daily rodeo after parties featuring musical performances from top country stars including Elle King, Ryan Bingham and others. In addition to the competition and post-event concerts, there will be a vendor village, showcasing traditional Western fashions, crafts and artwork, making this a fun event for the whole family. Tickets will go on-sale September 17, 2024.

Many of the sport’s most talented cowboys will be participating in the San Diego Rodeo, including a variety of World champions from NFR Qualifiers and INFR Indian National Finals, they’ll compete in various timed events and disciplines including barrel racing, saddle bronc and bull riding. 

San Diego has a rich history of rodeo culture, dating back hundreds of years to the original indigenous charros and subsequent Charrerías, which have been recognized by UNESCO and are still held throughout the region today. ‍Rodeo’s origins are firmly rooted in Hispanic, Indigenous and Black Hispanic traditions, predating the formation of San Diego itself. The San Diego Rodeo is proud to engage and spotlight participants from various Indigenous Sovereign Nations such as Kumeyaay, Blackfeet, Northern Cree, Métis, Sioux, Chippewa, and Crowe. 

Megan deFabry

Howdy, I'm Megan deFabry. I grew up in Reno, Nevada, but since 2017 my heart has called Texas home. I now reside in Austin, Texas since 2020. I'm driven by my faith, cherished relationships with family and friends, and my professional ambitions. I'm passionate about digital marketing and journalism, especially the wide-open spaces of America's Western lifestyle, the grit of agriculture, the excitement of rodeo, and the heart of country music. For nearly a decade, I've been sharing this way of life through storytelling. And like any good cowboy tale, there's a loyal sidekick, my little Dachshund, Frank, who I adopted from a shelter in New Braunfels, Texas, back in 2018. He keeps me grounded, reminding me to chase horizons and savor life's simple joys. I graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Consumer Affairs and a minor in Mass Communication. My major taught me to decode consumer behavior, which is crucial for marketing, while my minor sharpened my storytelling skills. Since then, I've spent years mastering SEO and content strategy, staying ahead in a fast-moving field. My work even caught the eye of Cowboy Lifestyle Network's CTO, Irish Padmore, who recognized me for contributing to his research on Consumer Behavior in the Age of AI. Since 2018, I've been honored to work at Cowboy Lifestyle Network. Now as Editor-in-Chief writing, editing, and publishing articles that capture the cowboy spirit, crafting strategies rooted in Western values, and building real client connections. Guided by ethical journalism, I aim to tell stories that resonate and reflect the unsung heroes of the Western spirit.

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