It wouldn’t be the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo without bad weather.
The winter storm expected to blow through North Texas on Friday and Saturday may disrupt attendance and impact outdoor activities such as the midway or petting zoo; otherwise, the stock show will operate as usual, spokesman Matt Brockman said.
“If it’s sleeting or icy, no one’s going to want to be outside, so those parts of the show will likely close,” he said.
The Fort Worth Stock Show closed in 2021 during COVID-19, a year when Texas had a record cold wave, and during World War II. However, those closures were not weather related.
Even during record-setting cold waves in January 1948 and February 1905, the 23-day show moseyed on.
“If you’re going to hold an event in North Texas in January and February, you’ve got to be ready for some bad weather,” Brockman said on Wednesday afternoon. “It can be sunny one day — like it is today — and be a sheet of ice the next. That’s just the way it is.”
Stock show leaders met Wednesday afternoon to discuss this weekend’s weather forecast that includes wintry percipitation.
“We’re going to work with the city’s public works and transportation department to make sure the streets surrounding Dickies Arena and the Will Rogers Memorial Center are clear,” he said. For the streets inside the center, the Will Rogers and Dickies staff have the responsibility to keep them clear.
Stock show officials urge people to be careful and layer up, he said.
The rodeo will go on as well. The show has a no-refund policy on tickets, which are valid only for the scheduled performances.
While the stock show doesn’t close due to the weather, temperatures can have a chilling effect on attendance.
After record-breaking attendance numbers in 2023, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo saw a decrease in visitors in 2024 — with wintry weather early in the show cited as a factor.
Last year brought more springlike weather and attendance bucked up 10.4% from 2024 to reach 1.26 million visitors.
“We’ve done this since 1896,” said Brockman. “We’ve gotten pretty used to dealing with this.”
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
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