SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego Rodeo will return to Petco Park during Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend in January for the fourth year, despite ongoing concerns about animal welfare and a 2026 event that saw some sponsors back away from the event.
The rodeo, presented in partnership with Outriders Present and Finest Collective, is scheduled from Friday, Jan. 15, through Sunday, Jan. 17. It will feature the world's top rodeo athletes competing for $750,000 in prize money, culminating in Championship Sunday, when the winners are crowned.
Following the rodeo each night, there will be a drone show. Saturday will feature a DJ party with line dancing in Gallagher Square, and Sunday will feature a country concert at the same location.
Tickets for the rodeo and concert go on sale to the public Friday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m. at www.padres.com/rodeo.
The rodeo will spotlight 12 contestants in each timed event, including barrel racing, saddle bronc, bull riding and more, with the first two rounds set for Friday and Saturday.
The Championship Sunday semifinals will feature eight athletes competing for one of four spots in the finals and the chance to win their event. The rodeo will have a total payout of $750,000 in prize money distributed across all eight winners.
"Fans can take part in San Diego's rich rodeo heritage -- a tradition that dates back centuries to the original Indigenous charros and the evolution of Charrería, now recognized by UNESCO," a statement from the rodeo's organizers read. "Rodeo's origins are deeply rooted in Hispanic, Indigenous, and Black Hispanic traditions, predating the founding of San Diego itself. The San Diego Rodeo is proud to celebrate and spotlight participants from a variety of Sovereign Nations, including the Kumeyaay, Blackfeet, Northern Cree, Métis, Sioux, Chippewa and Crow."
The event will also feature a vendor village with traditional Western apparel, crafts and artwork, as well as line dancing and select concessions available throughout the venue before the main show. BeerFest will take place Friday and Saturday, featuring $5 beer specials from local and national breweries, and a Western-themed KidsFest will be held Sunday with family- friendly activities including balloon artists, games and inflatables, according to the rodeo statement.
Last year, the rodeo saw increased protests from animal rights activists, who actively contacted sponsors. For the first time in the event's short history, the San Diego Tourism Marketing District did not allocate any funding, after providing $150,000 in each of the two previous years. Some sponsors, including Monster Energy and Diageo, withdrew from the event.
During the 2025 event, an 11-month-pregnant horse named Pearl Necklace died shortly after competing in a saddle bronc event. Though the horse showed no visible signs of physical injury, it began shaking 15 minutes after the event and later collapsed and died.
A San Diego Humane Society investigation into the death found no legal violations or probable cause for criminal charges against the horse's owner or rodeo organizers.
The Humane Society said that during its investigation into the death, a necropsy revealed the horse was pregnant and died from a ruptured uterine artery. The Humane Society described the condition as a potentially fatal one that "may occur spontaneously."
The horse's foal also did not survive.
Despite the findings, the Humane Society said it continues to oppose rodeos "due to the inherent risks they pose and the fear, anxiety and stress they cause to animals. This tragic incident, combined with the serious injury of another horse after last year's rodeo, underscores the dangers of these events."
Following the incident -- and several others in previous years, including the death of a 16-year-old male bucking horse -- and an unsuccessful 2024 effort by San Diego City Councilman Kent Lee to ban rodeos within city limits, a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled that rodeos at Petco Park must improve veterinary care and prohibit pregnant horses from participating.
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