Carnival & Fair News

Attendance, spending and other metrics of Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo increased over last year, mostly driven by a few more sunny days than occurred in 2024. But the non-sunny days were repeats of the extreme weather events Texas and elsewhere have been enduring in consecutive Januaries – extreme for Fort Worth that it is, but in reality the town endured blasts of winter snow, rain and ice more common to states further north.

Fewer freakish weather days than last year proved less of an impediment to other segment of this iconic even than the midway. Mary Talley of Talley Amusements, explained “We did better than we did in 2024, but it was all weather related. Attendance was up for the rodeo, but with the temperatures in the 20s and 30s nobody is riding rides when they come out of the rodeo. When it's 50s plus, they came out in droves.”

Talley Amusements has been the long-term midway provider for this iconic Lone Star state event. While in recent years the month-long event has been plagued by severely unseasonable-for-Texas weather days, Talley remembers “it used to be in 2003 and 2004 every day was in the 70s. Now people in town say if it's snowing it must be the stock show. We've had brutal weather trends lately.”

Mother Nature induced woes aside, 2025 was better than the previous year for Talley and Fort Worth enabling the carnival company to debut the newly arrived Thunder Fest (Himalaya) from Wisdom, and The Hard Rock from ARM – “the people loved the new rides, especially the new Thunder Fest.”

Coburn Catering

Steve Coburn of Coburn Catering, the largest single food concessionaire at the event, serving beer & Rodeo cuisine at approximately 50 stands, noted that there were a few cold days – concessions were not as impacted – but overall “We had great weather. We had some beautiful weekends. Some days might have been a little chilly, but lot of days were short sleeves and light jackets. It was good, people seemed to be happy. On the sunny days sales were up, which generally put vendors in a really good mood, anytime sales are up.”

While last year Coburn was forced to increase some prices due to rampant inflation, this year he didn't raise any prices, in spite of costs of some items such as labor up-ticking. “We kept prices the same, though labor was more expensive,” he said. “But we hired a really good staff members this year. We didn't have near the staffing issues we had last year. Good workers are still hard to get but didn't we the same problems finding people.”

Unfortunately, some price bumps were only noticeable after the fact. Coburn had a breakfast stand this year as well as breakfast-catered  “Egg prices went through the roof. I saw the bills after the show. We were buying egg boxes for $25 last year and this year they were over $100.”

This year's cash flow and enthusiastically hungry crowds as well as a sharp increase in the number of catered events for sponsors and other organizations helped lessen the impact of holding the consumer prices the same in spite of spikes in some costs.

“It was a good stock show. We had some new vendors – a baked mac-and-cheese stand a Romanian food stand. Our pizza guy and our burrito guy did very well, but at the stock show they want beer, corn dogs and barbecue. They're always the big sellers.”

Record Attendance

“We're very pleased with the 2025 FWSSR,” said Matt Brockman, Communications Manager, Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. “We experienced a few colder than normal days, but temperatures during most of our 23-day run were above normal.”

Inflation was noticeable – even as food prices remained stable inside, “General admission, parking and some rodeo ticket prices were increased for 2025,” said Brockman. “It doesn't seem like they dampened demand. However, the North Texas economy remains strong. Consumer demand during our event – January and early February – seemed to remain strong. Vendors appeared to be pleased with their results.”

Attendance hit 1,263,920 – an increase of 9.5 percent over 2024 – and the run included six days of record grounds attendance.  Although revenue figures were not available, Brockman noted that the Jr. Sale of Champions (youth livestock auction) grossed $10 million – an increase of $1.8 million.”



Fueling demand was a rodeo-centric tagline – “Hustle and Show”  -- with the event doubling down on the cultural phenomena that has become a Texan Tradition. “No other local public event can claim the vibrancy and excitement of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, so we wanted to illustrate how the Western way of life is embraced across our great city and region,” he said. “ Competitors, exhibitors, volunteers all “hustle” in order that the “Show” is the event where Fort Worth's cowboy and cowgirl vibe is appreciated and enjoyed here in our great city.”

While budget and media-mix remained comparable to recent stock shows, the event upped its social media game with higher quality videos and other content.
“One of the new ways we utilized social media was to focus on short-form video content,” he explained. “We leveraged Instagram Reels and TikTok to showcase FWSSR's blend of rodeo entertainment, stock showing, and carnival midway fun. We also strengthened our partnerships with sponsors by integrating branded content in creative ways, ensuring their messages reached audiences authentically while enhancing the FWSSR experience. These efforts helped us grow our digital presence while keeping the Stock Show's legacy alive in a rapidly evolving social media landscape.”

What the Fort Worth Rodeo & Stock Show is finding is that as western-themed Americana and the rodeo sports audience grows – along with the population of the Lone Star State – the most effective strategy is to emphasize your existing and well-renowned strengths.                
                                         
“Rodeo is in our DNA, and in our heritage here in Fort Worth,” said Brockman. “Rodeo was first held indoors in the United States at the 1918 Stock Show when we were located near the Stockyards, on the city's Northside. It also helps that this region has become the epicenter for the nation's western equestrian competitive events scene. There are more large scale western equestrian competitions and rodeos held in this area than any time in the city's history. It's definitely deeply ingrained in the city's vibe.”

While the Cowboy Cool Craze – spurred by Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album sales and the popularity of shows like Yellowstone – shows little of signs abating in 2025 – for Fort Worth. it's only recognition of a generational lifestyle. “Cowboy cool has always been a “thing” here in Fort Worth so it isn't a unique phenomenon that may fade at some point. Taglines used in our city over the last century include “Where the West Begins,” the “City of Cowboys and Culture,” “The Modern West,” and “Where Y'all Means All.” Regardless of pop culture trends across the decades, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has always been embraced by our citizens from every walk of life.”