It wouldn\u2019t be the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo without bad weather.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s sleeting or icy, no one\u2019s going to want to be outside, so those parts of the show will likely close,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even during record-setting cold waves in January 1948 and February 1905, the 23-day show moseyed on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to hold an event in North Texas in January and February, you\u2019ve got to be ready for some bad weather,\u201d Brockman said on Wednesday afternoon. \u201cIt can be sunny one day \u2014 like it is today \u2014 and be a sheet of ice the next. That\u2019s just the way it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stock show leaders met Wednesday afternoon to discuss this weekend\u2019s weather forecast that includes wintry percipitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to work with the city\u2019s public works and transportation department to make sure the streets surrounding Dickies Arena and the Will Rogers Memorial Center are clear,\u201d he said. For the streets inside the center, the Will Rogers and Dickies staff have the responsibility to keep them clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stock show officials urge people to be careful and layer up, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rodeo will go on as well. The show has a no-refund policy on tickets, which are valid only for the scheduled performances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the stock show doesn\u2019t close due to the weather, temperatures can have a chilling effect on attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After record-breaking attendance numbers in 2023, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo saw a decrease in visitors in 2024 \u2014 with wintry weather early in the show cited as a factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n