Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.
I know nothing about professional rodeo, but I love the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza. It’s easy for the average person to embrace, with stunning and diverse performances, and a cultural richness that feels lacking in nearly any other rodeo at the National Western Stock Show.
That’s no slight to the 119th Stock Show, Jan. 11-26, or its other fine events, which take place at Denver’s National Western Complex. The Stock Show contains more horses, goats, tractors, sunset portraits and corn dogs than you shake a saddle at, and like the Mexican Rodeo, it’s a western wonderland for all ages.
I try to go every year, but since the Mexican Rodeo, taking place Sunday, Jan. 12, sells out so quickly, that’s not always on the menu. Filled with cultural pageantry, it features Mexican-style bull riding, bareback riding, trick roping, Mariachi music, side saddle girls, and Portuguese-style bullfights (the bull isn’t injured), with choreography by Gerardo “Jerry” Diaz, “a fourth-generation champion charro” (or Mexican cowboy), according to the Stock Show’s website.
The first time I saw it I was blown away by the complexity, coordination and (oddly) coziness of the sprawling program. Friends that I only see once or twice a year come down from Boulder or elsewhere to join my family in the seats, my kids munching popcorn while their eyes behold death-defying feats and fantastic, colorful traditional garb.
Last year’s event was its 29th annual, which makes this year’s 30th anniversary extra notable. Expect another grand entry with charro-style bareback riding and bull riding, Folklore de Mexico singing (oh, the costumes!), escaramuza charra (synchronized) riders and mini-escarmuza performers, mutton bustin’, the Westernaires, and Matadors de Mexico.
As one of Colorado’s biggest, truly cross-cultural events, it’s an encouraging sign that we can still come together for something beautiful — whatever our cultural backgrounds (and however briefly, as the case may be).
Tickets are selling very quickly for both the 2 and 6:30 p.m. shows on Sunday, Jan. 12 ($62-$96 via nationalwestern.evenue.net/events/mex).