DALY CITY, Calif. (KRON) -- The Bay Area is getting a taste of the Wild West as the Grand National Rodeo & Junior Livestock Show returns to the Cow Palace for “Boots by the Bay.”
The event brings professional rodeo competitions, family entertainment, food and Western-themed shopping to Daly City.
The Grand National Rodeo features a lineup of traditional rodeo events, including bull riding, bronco riding, bareback riding, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and breakaway roping.
The competition is mixed with music, comedy and specialty performances, including trick riding and bull jumping. The Flying U Rodeo has produced the Grand National Rodeo for nearly six decades.
The Grand National Rodeo has recently become a qualifier for the American Rodeo contender tournament. Since 2024, competitors have had a chance to qualify for the tournament and compete for a share of the $1 million prize awarded at the American Rodeo finals in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Beyond the rodeo, visitors can enjoy food, bar areas and Western shopping as part of the event experience.
The Grand National Rodeo, Horse and Stock Show is among the largest rodeo events in the country. Held annually at the Cow Palace, the event brings rodeo and agricultural traditions to an urban Bay Area audience.
The Grand National also serves as a county agricultural fair operated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The Cow Palace itself was built to host the first Grand National Rodeo, Horse and Stock Show in 1941. That inaugural event, held Nov. 15-22, included the Grand National Livestock Exposition, Grand National Horse Show and Grand National Rodeo.
The event was temporarily interrupted during World War II, when the Cow Palace was used to stage troops. The Grand National returned in 1946, with the third event following in 1947.
Children under 2 are admitted free but may be required to sit on a parent or guardian’s lap.
