Much better than Bieber fever

What's all the fuss at Memorial Park? Houston's got Rodeo fever, step aside forthe horse

Police tape, horses, trucks, trailers. Welcome to Memorial Park this weekend.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
These cowboys might be keeping guard on the Picnic Lane entrance to MemorialPark, but they won't bite. Too hard.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
What a saucy little mare!
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
Even the tiniest cowboys want to get in on the action.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
And the trail ride comes on down Kirby Dr. on Friday afternoon.
Photo by Lonnie Schiller
Trailers and trucks as far as the eye can see. Make room for our rodeo visitorsthis weekend.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
Memorial Park's south side will remain bike friendly, but you'll meet a fewdetours along the way.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi
A future trail boss? Perhaps. Rodeo excitement is palpable in little faces, too.
Photo by Fayza A. Elmostehi

Regional forecasts this weekend are calling for skies so perfect, they'd make a cowboy cry.

But if you think you're hightailing it off to Memorial Park with your road bike to do a couple laps around the Picnic Loop, you've got another think coming, partner.

The bike trails near the Bayou are still open to riders and runners (although the area isn't open to unauthorized vehicle traffic), but you might need to consider whether or not you'll spook the horses.

Yes, seriously.

Because aside from the weather being so good you could spit, we're only three days away from a Texan's most wonderful time of the year — why, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, we do reckon.

If you're trying to mosey on through the area south of Memorial Drive at the park on Friday and Saturday, you might find yourself in the midst of a scene you don't recognize.

Unless you normally hear the sounds of faint whinnying accompanied by whiffs of pungent dung, with trailers and pickup trucks lining the road as far as the eye can see, that is.

Oh, and don't forget about the cowboys roasting a pig over an open flame at 10:30 a.m. on a Friday morning. Because that how the rodeo rolls.

You can't deny it. The temperature of Rodeo fever is rising, and we're all about to catch it.

"The trail rides (began) arriving around 12:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon," said Cyndy Garza-Roberts, director of public affairs for H-E-B, and a member of the rodeo's public relations subcommittee.

You read that right. Despite the park roads being ringed with four-wheeled vehicles galore, at 10:30 a.m., not a single trail ride had arrived. We can only imagine how crowded it's about to get, as they coast down major thoroughfares into their campsite and party den at Memorial Park throughout the afternoon.

"But the real fun will get started around 5 p.m.," Garza-Roberts said.

That's when all 13 of the different trail rides, bringing more than 3,000 riders, will officially convene at Memorial Park Friday night for the awards ceremony and raucous cowboy and cowgirl camaraderie.

"Things should be back to normal in Memorial Park around 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon," Garza-Roberts said.

But the rodeo fun's only just begun.

Are you ready for some rodeo? Yee-haw!

unspecified

This Week's Hot Headlines

Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

Photo by Becca Wright

undefined

Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.