Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo sets new attendance records

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo shattered record after record this year — from attendance to the number of funnel cakes consumed — with only a few hitches to detract from successes that surprised even its organizers. On Sunday, the last day of the three-week rodeo, general attendance climbed past 2 million visitors as swooning teens lined up to see Justin Bieber perform and rodeo fans filled Reliant Stadium to watch cowboys compete for the Xtreme Bulls title. The general attendance figures for the rodeo, one of North America's largest fairs, blew away last year's record of 1.89 million. “Food sales, carnival sales — it all went through the roof,” said the rodeo's chief financial officer, Jennifer Hazelton. About half of the livestock auctions, including goats and lambs, set new bidding records. A record-breaking crowd of 74,222 people filled the stands for Go Tejano Day this year, beating the prior record of 74,147 set last year. The attendance at rodeo performances also beat a record 1.22 million, set in 2003: the first year the rodeo was held at Reliant Stadium instead of the Astrodome...read more