SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Rodeo is returning to Petco Park after an eventful inaugural event in 2024 that included court hearings and big crowds.
The event will be held over three days, January 10-12, 2025 and will feature some of the world’s top rodeo athletes competing for more than $800,000 in prize money according to the Padres. There will be daily after-parties featuring top musical acts, a new addition to the previous rodeo. Like last year, the event will include cultural practices featuring local charros.
"I will be there 100%. I will be there. I love that vibe, the cowboys," said Crystalyn, who lives in San Diego.
The first-ever rodeo held at Petco Park one year earlier almost didn't happen as opponents of the event argued in civil court over whether the San Diego Padres were violating city code in bringing a rodeo to Petco Park.
The Animal Protection League and Showing Animals Respect and Kindness sued the Padres and C5 Rodeo, the company that put on the event. They said the event violates municipal code, which prohibits non-service animals inside and around Petco Park.
During a hearing, Padres Attorney Elaine Harwell told the judge the plaintiffs were interpreting the municipal code incorrectly. "The statute is actually meant to apply to the conduct and regulate the conduct of the patrons attending the events at Petco Park, not to govern what type of events or what type of entertainment is occurring at the ballpark," said Harwell.
During the first night, shocking video showed a 6-year-old racehorse named Waco Kid slam into a barricade before collapsing. Following the collision the horse was removed from the arena in a livestock ambulance and placed under the care of the San Diego Rodeo veterinarian team. Exams show no obvious signs of fracture or instability. The horse was alive and did not sustain major injuries, according to C5 Rodeo, the company running the event.
Despite an abrupt ending to night one of the San Diego Rodeo, crowds packed into Petco Park for the second night of the San Diego Rodeo.
“It’s great to always see people flooding from different parts of the country to come see something that they enjoy and love and are passionate about, you know, and the rodeo is one that brings cool people from all over just come to San Diego," said rodeo fan Dan Healy.
After the 2024 event, there was a new push to prevent rodeos from happening in San Diego when District 6 Councilmember Kent Lee announced he plans to introduce an ordinance that would ban rodeos in the City of San Diego. The San Diego Humane Society says it's working with his office to gain more support.
"We will continue to work with him and his people to see if we can get something acceptable to us as animal advocates but also to be culturally respectable to the communities in which rodeo has been part of their history," said Gary Weitzman, CEO of San Diego Humane Society.
After the attempted ban, San Diego Rodeo Alliance Chairman Jed Pugsley said this rodeo brought the community something San Diego had not seen before. Pugsley explained what this ban could mean to the rodeo community if it were ever to pass.
For more details on the event and to purchase tickets, visit' padres.com.
WATCH: San Diego Rodeo 2024