The Poway Rodeo returns for its 54th year on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26, with three performances packed into two days at the Poway Valley Riders Association arena. Expect bull riding, barrel racing, tie-down roping and mutton bustin' alongside a themed tribute to the volunteers who built the event from scratch more than five decades ago. Organizers say the milestone weekend leans hard into nostalgia while still making room for the next generation of competitors and fans.
This year's theme, “The Legacy Continues,” runs through all three performances and is meant to honor the past, future and current generations who have kept the rodeo alive, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Friday night's 7:30 p.m. performance is dedicated to “Honoring the Legends,” a tribute to the people who helped build the Poway Rodeo, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Rodeo committee member Darci Van Meter said families of past rodeo builders will be invited in recognition of their contributions, per the same report.
Saturday brings a doubleheader. The 1 p.m. afternoon show is themed “The Future of Rodeo,” spotlighting young competitors and the sport's next faces, while the 7:30 p.m. evening performance, “Today's Trailblazers,” salutes the stock contractors and volunteers currently keeping the event running. Murray Bankhead said the rodeo is expected to draw crowds as large as in past years, and noted that the whole affair is organized by community members who are simply passionate about rodeo and Poway, the Union-Tribune reports.
A Volunteer-Run Event With Half a Century of Roots
The Poway Rodeo remains a 100% volunteer organization, a structure that traces back to its founding. It was first established in 1973 by Poway Valley Riders Association members John Walker and Jack Miller, who traveled to Oklahoma City at their own expense with their wives to secure sanctioning from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and to partner with the local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce, according to Poway Rodeo. That inaugural 1973 rodeo went on to serve as a filming location for the Oscar-winning documentary *The Great American Cowboy*, featuring the ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull Oscar, who was later successfully ridden for the first time in Poway by cowboy Randy Magers in 1975.
The rodeo's staying power also reflects Poway's civic identity. The city incorporated in 1980 and formally adopted the slogan “The City in the Country,” according to Big Block Realty. The Poway Valley Riders Association has 14 acres, five arenas and hosts equine events.
Competition Events and Family Attractions
The 2026 lineup features bull riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, bareback riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding and team roping, the Union-Tribune reports. A junior barrel racing competition requires qualification to earn a spot, with buckles going to the three fastest contestants. Mutton bustin' will take place during each performance, challenging local children to hold onto a sheep bareback, with victory going to whoever hangs on the longest.
Poway Rodeo Queen Kate Richardson and Poway Junior Queen Riley Kirkland will be present throughout the weekend, according to the same report. Kids Corral seating is available for the Saturday afternoon show, and Saturday's Kids Buck Day offers general admission tickets and Kids Zone rides for $1 to youths 12 and under accompanied by a paying adult. The Kids Fun Zone, sponsored by Poway Kiwanis, opens at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and includes inflatables and an obstacle course.
Fundraising for Kids, Veterans and Community Causes
Sam's Posse teams with the Poway Rodeo to host an annual fund-a-bike fundraiser, which pays for a custom adapted bike for a Saturday afternoon recipient. The nonprofit's broader Sam's Posse Round-Up Rodeo provides custom social stories and modified equipment so children with intellectual and physical disabilities can safely participate in rodeo events, an effort funded in part by volunteer bar-tip drives that purchase $5,000 custom adaptive bicycles for local youths, according to The Team Roping Journal. This year's Sam's Posse Roundup Rodeo will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and is free for children ages 5 and up with intellectual and physical disabilities and their parents, per the Union-Tribune.
Beyond Sam's Posse, the rodeo supports the Poway Community Foundation, the Golden Circle of Champions, Rady Children's Hospital, the Poway High School Booster Club and the Warrior Bonfire Program. The Golden Circle of Champions is listed among the rodeo's beneficiaries. The Warrior Bonfire Program hosts free peer-support retreats for post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients, per the Warrior Bonfire Program. The program focuses on invisible wounds.
After-Hours Music and Regulatory Backdrop
Once the arena empties out, the party doesn't stop. Boot Scootin' line dancing plays from gate opening until 7 p.m. both nights, and an after-party featuring Patrick Howard Trampus and the Honky Tonk Nights runs immediately after each rodeo until midnight. The after-party requires a rodeo ticket, proof of being 21 or older, and valid identification, the Union-Tribune reports.
The Poway Rodeo is PRCA sanctioned. California law provides a regulatory backdrop for rodeos. The article also discusses animal welfare at San Diego area rodeos.
Tickets, Parking and Logistics
Tickets range from $20 to $35 for adult general admission, with rodeo tickets overall running $35 for general admission up to $40 for preferred seating per person; Kids Corral seating costs $55 per person for the Saturday afternoon show. The event is cashless for parking, tickets and beverages, and tickets are sold only through the official website. VIP on-site parking costs $30 per night, while off-site parking runs $10 per night, and the venue is ADA accessible.
Friday and Saturday night performances typically sell out, and the rodeo draws attendees from across San Diego County up to Orange County, per the Union-Tribune's report. More information and tickets are available at powayrodeo.com, or by calling 858-345-9555.
