Fort Worth Stock Show canceled for 2021

Photos courtesy of Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

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The 2021 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo will not roll in January. The event, which has been a Cowtown tradition since 1896, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The executive committee voted unanimously Thursday to cancel the show because it posed too great a threat to the public’s health.

“After reviewing all pertinent data and information, the committee could not see a way forward to hold a show without creating tremendous potential to spread this dangerous virus,” said Stock Show President and General Manager Brad Barnes. “The uncertainty of infection rates, especially during the upcoming flu season, was another extraordinary factor weighing on our decision. In the final analysis, the most appropriate option is to not host a 2021 show.

“We know this decision is very disappointing to our loyal exhibitors, competitors and guests,” Barnes said. “We share in your disappointment, but pledge to do our part in the effort to defeat COVID-19 and be ready to host the best ever Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in 2022.”

The event, which brings almost a million people to the Will Rogers Memorial Center, generates an estimated $1.5 million for the local economy and provides scholarships for hundreds of young animal exhibitors.

The stock show was also canceled in 1943 when all efforts were focused on World War II.

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