HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It’s time to dust off your Western heritage gear (although rocking it anytime is absolutely allowed around here) and make sure your cowboy boots are ready for the spotlight as we celebrate the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade.
Watch LIVE on ABC13 | SATURDAY, FEB. 28 at 10 A.M.
The festivities will again kick off from downtown Houston, with decorative floats, marching bands, wagons, trail riders and horses all stepping off for the parade on Walker St. at Bagby St.
The parade will snake around to Travis St., Bell St., Louisiana St., and Lamar St. before finishing there at Bagby.
The rodeo parade also has a grand marshal, and this year, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan will take on the role.
Ruskan, 26, executed multiple high-risk rescues, saving 165 children from raging waters during the Independence Day flash floods in the Texas Hill Country.
Ruskan continues to serve on active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard, where he supports search-and-rescue operations across the Gulf Coast.
You can read more about Ruskan here.
Where’s the best place to watch?
Be sure to arrive early downtown to secure a good spot.
According to the rodeo, the best places to view the parade are on Louisiana, from Bell to Lamar, Lamar, and from Louisiana to Smith.
Bagby and Walker streets, from Sabine Street to Bagby, will be off limits for viewing.
Street closures
Like with many parades downtown, you should expect streets to be closed that morning not only for the parade, but even earlier for the Rodeo Run, which begins at 8:30 a.m.
A quick note about the Rodeo Run: It will run the entire parade route and can be seen on Allen Parkway from I-45 to Shepherd/Kirby.
Streets will reopen around 2 p.m. after all events have concluded.
Parking
You may want to head for the public parking garages in downtown and the Theater District.
Keep in mind, each garage will have its own parking fees, and they’re also available to parade viewers.
Garages include: Alley Theater Garage, One Market Square Garage (Rodeo Mural), Lyric Center, and 1100 Smith Garage.
You can also use parking available at Texas and Smith, Smith and Preston, Smith and Dallas, Smith and Clay, and Walker and Main.
Tell me more about the parade
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade is a tradition dating back to 1938, officially launching rodeo season in the nation’s fourth largest city.
ABC13 began televising the Rodeo Parade in 1959, using three cameras to broadcast the sights and sounds of the celebration to viewers across southeast Texas.
WATCH: ABC13’s first Rodeo Parade Broadcast
In this news clip from 2014, ABC13 marked the Downtown Rodeo Parade’s 55th year by looking back at the first televised Rodeo Parade in 1959.
We’ve been broadcasting and livestreaming the parade every year since, solidifying the long-term relationship between ABC13 and RODEOHOUSTON.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world.
This year, the rodeo runs from March 2-22, 2026.
WATCH: Scenes from the 1966 Rodeo Parade in Houston
Can’t wait to rodeo until Feb. 28? Watch the 2025 parade action in the video player above!
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