HOUSTON, TX — The City of Houston said the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been shut down due to coronavirus concerns.
The city said that after the case in Montgomery County, they decided to close the rodeo down. The mayor said he will be signing an emergency health declaration that will last at least 7 days.
He said that the rodeo will be directly impacted by this decision, and that this decision was hard to make. They believe this decision is best for the health and safety of Houstonians.
RodeoHouston said that a ticket refund process is in the works.
Tour de Houston will also be rescheduled or canceled. All events produced, sponsored or permitted by the city will be affected by the declaration. for the month of March
The weeks-long event draws more than 100,000 visitors to NRG park on Saturdays and Sundays, the Houston Chronicle reported.
A change.org petition titled "Petition to Cancel the Houston Rodeo Amid Coronavirus Outbreak" was started ahead of Wednesday's announcement. As of Wednesday morning, more than 4,500 people had signed on.
The remaining concerts are as follows:
Wednesday, March 11 - Country - Kane Brown
Thursday, March 12 - Country - Cody Johnson
Friday, March 13 - Hip Hop/Pop - Lizzo
Saturday, March 14 - Country - John Pardi
Sunday, March 15 - Country - Dierks Bentley
Monday, March 16 - Country - Keith Urban
Tuesday, March 17 - Pop - Gwen Stefani
Wednesday, March 18 - R&B/Pop - Khalid
Thursday, March 19 - Country - Chris Stapleton
Friday, March 20 - EDM - Marshmello
Saturday, March 21 - Country - Brad Paisley
Sunday, March 22 - Country - Luke Bryan
RodeoHouston said that the event generates more than $227 million in revenue for the city. The rodeo started in 1937.
