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The Western Heritage Parade and Cattle Drive is the main attraction downtown this weekend.
It saunters down Houston Street just before 11 a.m. on Saturday. There will be cowboys, cowgirls, longhorns, and much more to see. It will be partly reminiscent of the real cattle drives that passed down Houston Street in prior eras.
It will be the first of dozens of events over the coming weeks.
Market Square from Friday through Sunday plays host to the Western Heritage Vaquero Cookoff. Visitors can sample vaquero grub from the 1800s, including chili, menudo, and arroz con pollo, as cookoff teams compete to become grand champion.
Yee Haw features live music, family friendly rodeo activities, photo ops, and barbeque at Travis and Legacy Parks on Saturday from noon until 4 p.m.
All three events won't even cost you two bits — they're all free.
And if you didn't register for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Stampede 5K Run/Walk, you can cheer on finishers at Milam Park on West Commerce Street on Saturday. It begins at 9 a.m.
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo runs from Feb. 6 through Feb. 23 on the grounds of the Frost Bank Center and Freeman Coliseum. It can attract 1.5 million visitors during its long run.
The indoor rodeo has been named in the past as the best in the nation by professional cowboys and cowgirls.
Did you know? Taking a photo in front of the iconic 'Let’s Rodeo' sign is one of the 100 FREE things you can do at the San Antonio Rodeo! 🤠✨
— SA StockShow Rodeo (@SanAntonioRodeo) January 7, 2025
Snap a pic, strike your best pose, and don’t forget to tag us—because memories like these are priceless! #SARodeo #100Free… pic.twitter.com/gTmiBNXSEH
The nightly or afternoon rodeos will be followed by concerts featuring headliners this year like Scotty McCreery on Feb. 6; Koe Wetzel on Feb. 7; Keith Urban on Feb. 8; LeAnn Rimes on Feb. 9; the Bellamy Brothers also appear on Feb. 9; Mark Chestnutt Feb. 10; Eli Young Feb. 11; Jon Pardi Feb. 12; Ranch Rodeo Feb. 13; Tyler Hubbard Feb. 14; Southall Feb. 15; Turnpike Troubadours also appear on Feb. 15; Zach Top Feb. 16; Noche del Vaquero followed by Pesado also perform on Feb.16.
The concert lineup continues with Diamond Rio Feb. 17; Joe Nichols Feb. 18; Whiskey Myers Feb. 19; Sammy Hagar Feb. 20; Nelly Feb. 21; Nate Smith Feb. 22; and Dwight Yoakum, also on Feb. 22.
There's also a big livestock show for agriculture students to compete to win millions of dollars in scholarship money.
There is a family-oriented carnival, along with food and beverage and retail vendors. The foods include hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, barbeque, roasted corn, kettle corn, and funnel cakes.
Muttin' Bustin' with kids in crash helmets riding sheep is a popular attraction. Like bull riders, the kids see how long they can hold on before being bucked off.
The pig races also draw big crowds. The pigs are usually coaxed to the finish line with Oreo cookies. Past pig racing stars have been named Kevin Bacon, Britney Spare Rib, Brad Pig, and Kim Kardashiham.
Other racing pigs in the recent past have been named after politicians, including Nancy Piglosi, Hamala Harris, Donald Trump Roast, and Sleepy Joe.
