Cowboys Rule

It's another record Rodeo: All-time attendance mark falls thanks to monstershows, monster barbecue

Jason Aldean set an all-time record for RodeoHouston concert attendance: Nearly75,000 fans packed the stadium for his third performance.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo proved to be more successful than ever in its 80th year: The all-time record for paid attendance was broken with 1,283,419 paying to attend the three-week event, breaking a mark set in 2010. The total attendance of 2,257,970 visitors on the show's grounds ranks recond all time.

The World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest upped the ante early on with record attendance (260,033 over three days), but a daily carnival, a jam-packed rodeo schedule and an unforgettable lineup of musical performers ensured full crowds nightly for the remainder of RodeoHouston.

"We enhanced sound in the stadium, which we know makes a big difference," Wagner said.

"The main things were improvements in terms of presentation," Skip Wagner, RodeoHouston president and CEO, told CultureMap. "We enhanced sound in the stadium, which we know makes a big difference."

Three shows — Jason Aldean's RodeoHouston performance on March 15, Duelo and La Original Banda El Limón on March 11 and The Band Perry on March 14 — drew more than 74,241 fans each, earning them all spots among the Top 10 Rodeo-attended concerts of all time.

Neither spring break travels nor St. Patrick's Day festivities could keep fans away from Reliant — the Saturday crowd set a single night total-attendance record of 153,159, with 73,757 attendees venturing inside of the stadium for the Brad Paisley concert.

With all of these records, how can RodeoHouston 2012 be topped?

"Next year, you can expect to see continued fine-tuning," Wagner said, specifically mentioning expansions to the horticulture program, horse shows and ranch and wildlife exhibits.

unspecified series568664023

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.