Each year, more than 200,000 people enjoy the western-themed floats and buggies, historic horse-drawn coaches, festive Mexican folk dancers, marching bands and outfitted riders. The route begins at Park Avenue and Ajo Way, continues south to Irvington Road, then heads west on Irvington Road to South 6th Avenue.

Grandstands for viewing are located on Irvington at South 6th Avenue. See tickets for information for Grandstand tickets.  Viewing along both sides of the route, which stretches just over a mile, is available at no charge.

Visitors to Tucson can explore the Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum. Located on the northeast corner of S. Sixth Ave. and Irvington Road, the large building was originally the first city airport hanger, established in 1918. It was dedicated November 20, 1919 and was referred to as the Mayse Airport.

There are over one hundred buggies and wagons on display as well as a continually growing collection of Old West artifacts. There is a typical western street with various shops, and historical memorabilia of Tucson.

For more information on the Tucson Rodeo Parade and Museum, contact the Tucson Rodeo Parade
at (520) 294-1280 or visit www.tucsonrodeoparade.com.

Tucson Rodeo Parade History

THE WORLD’S LONGEST NON-MOTORIZED PARADE HIGHLIGHTS TUCSON’S LA FIESTA DE LOS VAQUEROS

Excerpt from a reporter’s 1925 account of the first Tucson Rodeo Parade:

Each February since 1925, Tucsonans saddle their horses, hitch up their buggies and shine their cowboy boots for the “Celebration of the Cowboys.” February 19-27, marks the 86th Annual La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, a nine-day event highlighted by the Tucson Rodeo, a six-day professional rodeo. The Tucson Rodeo Parade is Thursday, Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. and begins at Park Ave. and Ajo Way and ends at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds.

Locals, however, did not greet the first rodeo and parade, with enthusiasm. Many of the citizens flatly stated the staging of a rodeo and parade as too pretentious. Many were heard to exclaim,” There is absolutely no reason to have a rodeo let alone a parade.” After all, most of the streets were dirt, no stop signs existed, the radio and phonograph were popular, no one had natural gas for heating, the schools were strict, church socials and musicals were in vogue… yes, it was a quiet and peaceful life. Who needed a rodeo and parade? The entire city is surrounded by a rodeo everyday at all the ranches and private schools. Even though some businessmen though the rodeo and parade were a waste of time; even though some of the city fathers refused to back the rodeo and parade, both were a huge success.

The Tucson Rodeo Parade is the community’s most beloved tradition, and remains Tucson’s finest display of the Old West. Area schools are closed on Parade Day each year, and many local businesses close in order to participate in the parade with an entry. Over 200 floats are entered each year. The Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee, a 36-member volunteer board, plans and executes the parade, with the cooperation of the City of Tucson.

1.  Shandon Stalls--photo: Louise Serpa. 2.  Announcer Hadley Barrett.  3.  Trevor Brazile—photo: Francisco Medina. 4.  Hall of Fame Rodeo Clown Chuck Hensen —photo: Louise Serpa.  5.  Dean Gorsuch —photo: Dan Hubbell.  6.  The late Monty Montana. 7.  Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Voodoo Child —photo: Dan Hubbell. 8.  Billy Etbauer —photo: Jeff Belden.  9.  Quadrille de Mujeres—photo: Dan Hubbell. 10. Internationally acclaimed PRCA photographer Louise Serpa.

Tucson Rodeo History

TUCSON’S LA FIESTA DE LOS VAQUEROS BEGAN WITH A BANG

Headline in the Arizona Daily Star in 1925 reads:

Tucson in 1925 was a frontier town:

The first Tucson Rodeo was held in the middle of Prohibition. With so many visitors expected, decisions were made to clean up the town. Arizona State Prohibition Director Frank Pool led a force of federal officials to town two weeks prior to the rodeo. The Arizona Daily Star reported that 25 stills were captured and an estimated 3000 gallons of moonshine destroyed.

Leighton Kramer conceived the idea of La Fiesta de los Vaqueros to draw visitors to Tucson during the mid-winter season. Kramer was a winter visitor himself, and president of the Arizona Polo Association.

In 1925, Kramer and the Arizona Polo Association created La Fiesta de los Vaqueros and the Tucson Mid-Winter Rodeo and Parade. The event would give visitors a taste of cowboy range work and glamorize Tucson’s Wild West notoriety.

From Kramer’s official welcome in the 1925 event program:

Not so many years ago the first pony express came to a sudden halt on our Main Street, carrying civilization southwestward. Not so many years ago the first railroad whistled in. Gone is the past. The hitching post has been removed. A new civilization has put steel and concrete and built a mighty city where only yesterday horses grazed within the memory of living man. The Pioneer Spirit lives. Heroic memories never die. The Old Frontier will be revived-at Tucson, February 21, 22 and 23, 1925—as a community revival. We are proud to offer this attraction to the people of American as a glorious reminder of yesterday.

Tourists, cowboys and cowgirls, local society members and Navajo Indians enjoyed a rip-roaring time at the Rodeo Dance at the Santa Rita Hotel the night before the first Tucson Rodeo. Wayne Hamilton and the 10th Calvary Band provided music. The next morning, thousands of spectators crowded the Downtown parade route and 300 people participated in the first Rodeo Parade.

One of the most striking costumes in the parade was worn by Lone Wolf, a Native American artist, in full regalia and flowing headdress, that of a Blackfoot Indian Chieftain. Local ranches were represented on horseback, mounted polo players wore their white helmets and bright silk shirts, and the 10th Cavalry and 25th Infantry bands from Fort Huachuca provided rousing music. The city leaders and the University of Arizona declared February 21, 1925 a city holiday.

The first Tucson Rodeo was held at Kramer Field, now a neighborhood called Catalina Vista, east of Campbell Boulevard between Grant and Elm Streets. The rodeo featured four events -- steer wrestling, steer tying, calf roping, and saddle bronc riding. The purse was a fabulous $6,650. Special events included a wild horse race, lady bronc rider Tad Lucas, and Jack Brown who bulldogged a steer from a Packard automobile.

In Progressive Arizona 1925, Kramer observed:

“The City of Tucson excelled itself on the day of its first Rodeo Parade, the morning of the first day of its La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, a name destined to be as famous in the annuals of the Sunshine City as the Mardi Gras of New Orleans, the Beauty Pageant of Atlantic City, or the Flower Show at Pasadena.”

As a result of rapid growth, a larger La Fiesta de los Vaqueros moved to the abandoned municipal airport field at South 6th Avenue and Irvington Road. The 1932 Tucson Rodeo opened the grounds, with seating for 3,000 and parking for 59 cars. The arena at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds now seats 11,000 spectators.

The Tucson Rodeo Committee expanded the Tucson Rodeo to five performance days in 1993 and included an annual Women’s Championship Rodeo in the 2000-2003 events. In 2004 through 2006, the event added a PRCA sanctioned Bull Riding competition. The Committee added a sixth rodeo performance to replace the Bull Riding event beginning in 2007.

The Tucson Rodeo has featured many types of western entertainers. Old time trick riders Buff Brady and Dick Griffith amazed the crowds in the early days. Acclaimed trick roper Montie Montana appeared in a number of performances from 1936 to 1974. Wilcox, Arizona native Rex Allen was featured in 1956 and 1957. In 1965, Leon Adams exhibited “Roman trick riding from the days of Ben Hur on performing Brahma bulls.”

Due to a great climate and full grandstands, Hollywood found the Tucson Rodeo an ideal winter location when a scene called for rodeo action. Robert Mitchum tested broncs in Tucson in the 1952 classic “The Lusty Men”. In 1954, the Tucson Rodeo served as a backdrop for the movie “Arena”. The 1994 rodeo was featured in scenes for “8 Seconds”, the motion picture depicting the life of late bull rider Lane Frost. You can see action from the 1996 rodeo in the Showtime movie “Ruby Jean and Joe” starring Tom Selleck. The rodeo was broadcast coast-to-coast in 1962 on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

Leighton Kramer’s vision of creating an event to attract more tourists to Tucson has certainly been realized. But the residents of Tucson adopted La Fiesta de los Vaqueros as an honored tradition from the very beginning. Area schools still close on Thursday and Friday of Rodeo Week, local citizens are thrown in the hoosegow (in fun of course) for not observing western dress, businesses advertise rodeo specials and over 200 organizations participate in the Rodeo Parade, now viewed by over 200,000 spectators.

February 1967, the Tucson Daily Citizen reported:

“…41 House members have joined in introducing a bill which would make the bolo tie ‘the official state neckwear’… replacing the neckties worn by eastern dudes”.

February 2007, the Arizona Daily Star touted:
“Two Sports Greats in Town this Week”

“BEST IN THE BIZ Golf’s No. 1 Tiger Woods Rodeo’s No. 1 Trevor Brazile” “Trevor’s rope is Tiger’s wedge. Trevor’s goal is to win eight All-Around titles, one more than Ty Murray. Tiger’s goal is to win 19 majors, one more than the great Jack Nicklaus. We are doubly blessed. Both will continue work toward those goals this week in Tucson. Someday you can tell your grandkids about it.”

La Fiesta de los Vaqueros is planned and operated by the Tucson Rodeo Committee, Inc. and the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee, Inc. Both are nonprofit corporations with volunteer board members committed to preserving the western traditions and heritage of Tucson.