World's fastest rodeo!?! Not sure what that means... but the lines went fast, the tickets went fast, and those bulls and horses were certainly speedy. Both the event and pre-paid parking sold out in advance. And after attending the show this past Sunday, I can understand why it's so popular. The 2-day event takes place annually at Livermore Valley Stadium and seems to be very well organized. I loved that they actually tell you which seats are shaded based on time of day, so you can make an informed decision about where to sit when purchasing tickets. I certainly appreciated and found this helpful in avoiding the blazing heat, and got awesome seats in section E (the middle section), what I consider the best view in the stadium. The entertainment was nonstop, never a dull moment, and the main show lasted about 2 and a half hours, though doors opened about 4 hours earlier in the day for other activities. Lots of competitions and racing to cheer on the contestants (both the humans and the animals), including bareback and saddle bronc riding, tie down and team roping, barrel racing by them cowgirls and their horses, and of course the finale, the bull riding! Always a pleasure to watch this awesome and crazy sport from the stands. And the announcer and rodeo clown did a good job keeping the crowd engaged, along with classic tunes (mainly oldies, country, and rock) playing through the speakers. Not my first rodeo, I knew what to expect this time around. Compared to the Cow Palace event which I attended last year, I liked this one slightly better. A true festival environment, and far more vendors at the Livermore show, offering rodeo themed clothing, customizable trucker caps, cowboy hats galore (in various colors and designs), cowboy boots, other miscellaneous merchandise, and at least 15 different food and drink stands selling tacos, bbq, carne asada fries, italian bites, mini donuts, ice cream, beer and alcohol, and more. We enjoyed some cold lemonade and a sweet and tasty chocolate milkshake from one of the dessert tents. A great way to top off an already amazing experience. read more

See all

It had been several years since going to the annual Livermore rodeo and a first for my husband. I love how patriotic it feels that being there with the whole atmosphere filled with "Americana". They were celebrating Patriot Day and we really respected and appreciated that. The food was decent but would like a bigger variety. We ordered the chicken skewers and what seemed a bit pricey at first ended up being worth it with a giant skewer of 3-4 large chicken thighs and they were tasty. Water could be more accessible for sure especially being it was hot out. If you're sitting in the middle of a section in the stands it's tough to get in and out to get drinks or use restroom. Having vendors come more frequently with drinks would be ideal. Loved the show , loved the atmosphere, seeing bucking broncs, trick riders, team roping, bull riding and more. Will go back again for sure. PS would be even better if the parking lot was a little more coordinated when leaving event. Thanks Livermore Rodeo. We appreciate you and the tradition. Wow 107 years running. read more

This year's Livermore Rodeo has now come and gone. Yee haw. Strange that you'd find a rodeo in the San Francisco Bay Area. But surprise: There are THREE rodeos, including the Rowell Ranch Rodeo in the hills between Castro Valley and Dublin, and Daly City's Cow Palace still has one every year. The positive thing about "the world's fastest rodeo" is that they have Family Night. $1 entry, free parking, $1 for both hot dogs and Coke. This allowed this cash-strapped family to be able to enjoy a night with the cowboys. Only my Texas-bred Hunny had been to a rodeo before, and the girl wanted to see one in person, so we could visit it for less than $50. I guess it would be a "trial run", see if you'd like a rodeo before shelling out the $50 to see something that would bore you to tears. To be open, I *was* bored to tears. I'm not a cowboy at all, even though I grew up roughly 10 miles from the self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital Of The World (Oakdale). The girl liked the mechanical bull and jumpy springy thingy, thought the horses were pretty, and she met the rodeo princesses, but then got antsy during the actual contest. Still, I saw that this is not a fake show. It's a major pro event. They had team roping that night, and it looked like the pros and the area ranchers both competed to get the lowest time. Those who are part cowboy, or all cowboy, will not be disappointed. Of the four rodeos I mentioned, this is the most inconvenient one to go to. It's a pretty long drive from I-580, south of downtown, within walking distance of nothing. It looks like it's been here for generations, was surrounded by ranchland, and then the housing developments grew around it. I'd imagine that traffic on Saturday and Sunday is horrendous. The good news is that you do go through downtown Livermore, where there are many places to enjoy an after-rodeo dinner. It's a good one if you like this sort of thing. read more

What? $20 for parking? No senior discount? No military discount ? No low income household discount? Come on Livermore get with the program.... read more

My sister and I go every year. It's our girls day, no husbands, no kids... just a ton fun fun at the rodeo! I went tonight to Family Night for the first time. It was my husband and son's first time. All had fun. $1 hot dogs and soda... can't beat that. We found our friends and sat in the stadium. The kids had fun running around and watching the cow milking. If you are thinking about going GO! You'll have a blast. If not for the entertainment go for the view. wink wink. read more

I must have some genetic memory of my ancestors who were farmers because I love Rodeos and I keep this vice hidden from most of my friends. The 90th Livermore Rodeo was a lot of fun. The animals seemed to be getting the upper-hand (or is that upper-hoof) on Sunday. I guess the main event is the Bull Riders, and the danger is exciting, my favorite event is the Calf Ropers. Unlike the bull riding and bronco riding where the scores are partially dependant on the bulls' or horses' performance, ropers use their own horse, so it is their skill and the skill of their horses that make them winners. I also like the woman's barrel racing for the same reason I like the ropers. Sometimes the women kiss their horse. The wild cow milkers were a determined bunch. The very-very large cows dragged them half way down the stadium and sat on them. The fellows did not let go until their partner milked the cow. The downside to this family event was not one piece of toilet paper in the bathroom and I had to pay $8.00 to park and had to walk a long way to the gate. Normally these two problem would be a two star deduction but I will forgive these major problems because it was a great rodeo, and by the time I walked back to my car the traffic had lessened. read more

The Rodeo Cowboy is up! *I repeat* The giant Rodeo Cowboy, on the side of 580 east, is up! I am way more excited about this event than I should be. read more

#49 5 stars for a rodeo? Alright, hear me out. Rodeo? They have these in California? Anyhow, I never expected myself interested in a rodeo, let along actually going. My sister had some free tickets, so I tagged along with her and her husband. Parking was $8, but considering how much other sporting events are these days, $8 is not too bad. Who knew so many people went to the rodeo? Jeez. Apparently, this was the 91st one too. I only attended on Saturday, but here's the list of events: -bareback riding - just watching made my back and neck hurt -tie down roping - it was sort of sad seeing the calves helpless, with three legs tied -saddle bronc riding - seemed the same as the first event, except with saddles -steer wrestling - this looked hard; I mean, the guy has to jump off his horse and then wrestle the animal down -team roping -wild cow milking - not too many scored times here -bull riding - the marquee event of the rodeo; probably my favorite to watch I was expecting to see a bunch of cowboys, but there were a fair number of ladies. In fact, you probably could go just for the "scenery" as others have mentioned haha. You'll never really understand until you've been to one, but the rodeo was certainly entertaining and a great way to spend my Saturday. read more

I am a cowgirl... Literally... In all sences.. I wear spurs on my boots on the weekends.. I hate wearing my hat, even at shows.. It falls off.. And gets crapped on, by the crappy cows... I like the slow red ones,.. And the slow black ones.., i won't go into the breed other than I hate brama cross... Fadder for rank bulls in bull riding if you have ANY knowledge of cattle.. Don't make for good cuttin'.. The rodeo in Livermore is billed as the fastest.. I have only been to two others.. I don't think it is any faster.. Still entertaining... Good artery clogger food. Great pavillion of hard drinks poured STIFF! Great hats and this and that ! Great day to check out cowboys and cowgirls in their least! BUT! Beware, Livermore's finest gets 55k bonus, a minus! For pickin' up drunk drivers.. read more

I went years ago before we had kids and both me and my husband had tons of fun (even though they had to put a horse to sleep, because it broke its leg :( Kinda spoiled the mood for a bit). Then when we had a daughter, we took her to family night which is for free, plus you get a hot dog and a soda for $1. It is amateur riders, but it was just as much fun for my daughter and her friends. Actually it was more fun than the crowded real show. I plan to return next year if I can. read more

Another great time this year plus the best weather ever. A good 20 degrees cooler than some years in the past. Very pleasant. Great crowd. Kind of missed the Clown they've had for the past few years. Another slight ding: I know Coors paid a lot for the sponsorship but it'd be nice to carve out space for locals (Altamont) and more local wine options. Still, wonderful time. You gotta go at least once. And if you go once, you'll go every year! read more

I just got done writing a complaint to the Rodeo folks at http://www.livermorerodeo.org/#!contact/c5ih as I feel that the public was totally ripped off by this half thought out rodeo. Here is my complaint to them and I urge everyone who spent their hard earned dollars to support this rodeo do the same if you were as disappointed as I was at the lack of everything from food selection, to availability long lines and mostly sold out early in the day), lack of entertainment/exhibits prior to the rodeo, the opening show or what show, and the fact that the rodeo started 15 minutes late and ended 30 minutes early on Saturday. Didn't bother going back on Sunday. Hello, We attended the Rodeo on Saturday 6/13 and were also planning on attending on Sunday. However, due to being very disappointed by the lack of training of the people working in the parking lots, no one directing traffic getting out (it was a NIGHTMARE), vendor selection and availability (they ran out of most things very early), the lack of any additional entertainment unlike past years when there were exhibitions to watch, and the fact that we paid the premium for grandstand seats and the rodeo started late and ended early. The start of the rodeo was also an anti-climatic disappointment and paled in comparison to other years. There should have been enough events to fill the 3 hours of entertainment that we paid a premium to see. We both agreed that we feel like we were over charged for what the event offered and will not be going back unless quality issues mention above are resolved and communicated to the public. It wasn't just us who felt this way, it was the majority of the people we spoke with in the parking lot. read more

Local cultural event:). I try not to miss this yearly staple. Even if you are not particularly into the "Western" live style I would recommend this. It's definitely and entertaining afternoon and they keep the events moving. No needless drawing things out. Steer wrestling, wild cow milking, roping, bull and bronc riding. You name it they got it. Second weekend in June. read more

Livermore Rodeo - Bronc riding @Livermore rodeo. - Rodeo Near Me - Livermore, California

They absolutely suck! I paid $39 for admission for my five year old and myself because the lady gave me preferred seating. I didn't ask for preferred seating and when I went to exchange it, they wouldn't let me because I had already used the tickets. Complete ripoff! They should really inquire whether or not you want preferred seating. Horrible customer service! Boo! Do not recommend! read more

I love the Rodeo, have been going for over 20 years. But what happened this year for food??????? One vendor? Two lines with more than 50 people each. No BBQ stuff!?!? What was served in the stands: beer and water. No ice cream or peanuts or cotton candy or hotdogs, nothing. First time I went to the Rodeo hungry and left the same way. Sorry only 3 stars because I do appreciate the show and the participants. Get it together on the food though. read more

This was my first time going to any rodeo and let me say for someone thats NOT a country music girl it was a great time. I enjoyed the ambiance and walking around the food stands. Alcohol tickets were $5 each and Water tickets where $1. It wasn't that bad at all!! The actual show was pretty amazing. I enjoyed watching what they were doing and I hope to come back again next year!! My advice if your sitting in the sun is to wear sunblock or a hat. Don't forget to drink water.. all those beers creep up on you when you least expect it. read more

Great Rodeo. Fast and fun. Lots of excitement. Very large crowd this year packed stadium. Really liked that there was no slow time. Every time one event ended and other one started. Oh by the way the prayer and the dedication to the USA at the beginning was much appreciated. Loved the clown he was funny, witty and entertaining. This was the 98th annual Livermore Rodeo can't wait until the 100th. The one negative was the price of the food very expensive for a family. read more