The Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo is billed as the region’s single largest event in drawing over 300,000 visitors to the yearly celebration.

The 2024 edition is a special one in what RGV Livestock Show leadership is calling the event’s Diamond Anniversary. The 85th annual show will take place from March 7-17 of next year in Mercedes, its historical home and where it got started downtown in 1939. It has been at its present location on the northern end of Texas Avenue since 1950. 

The spring 2024 show will bring with it some noteworthy distinctions and new features. A recent press conference highlighted some of the upcoming features and includes:

• The opening of a new 1,000-square-foot pavilion that will help the livestock show boost its entertainment and musical attractions.
• A national network (to be disclosed) will televise the livestock show’s rodeo, giving Mercedes and the Valley greater exposure.
• There will be two Saturdays of entertainment. Tejano music and a premier Taylor Swift cover band, Red, featuring Lauren Corzine, will be part of the musical lineup.
• New corporate promotional packages will give small- to mid-size businesses the opportunity to purchase livestock show tickets in bulk for distribution to their employees.

“We know we serve as a focal point for music and entertainment in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Luis Saldana, the RGV Livestock Show’s executive director and general manager. “We are the Rio Grande Valley’s event. Being around so long, it’s an institution, it’s our heritage and we’re so proud to be part of the community.”

Remembering Core Mission

Beyond the music and carnivals, the livestock’s core mission remains unchanged.

The central purpose of the livestock show, Saldana said, is agricultural education for Valley youth and showcasing their farm and ranch projects. He noted at the press conference that the first livestock shows in the 1940s generated a few hundred dollars in proceeds for area youth. In 2023, the livestock show generated $1.7 million for RGV youth in sales of their livestock and other animals they’ve raised in addition to granting scholarships and awards.

“Everything we do here is to further develop our mission,” said Mike Risica, the president of the RGV Livestock Show board of directors. “Everything we’re doing to improve things here is to bring more dollars to give back to the kids.”

Behind that core mission is the history of the decades-long event. Saldana and his staff are highlighting the history of the livestock show on the organization’s social media sites. There are flashback and “guess the year” photos featuring images of past years. Posts also ask readers to identify those pictured. The throwback pictures are generating many reader comments and memories of when they attended the event as youngsters.

Bringing Community Together

All of these promotions and highlighting of history points toward putting on another big spring event. In 2024, Saldana said he expects the livestock show to have 600 volunteers assisting staff to put on the event. There will be about 1,300 exhibits from area youth as they present the cattle, rabbits, pigs and other animals and projects they have worked on for the last year to present at the livestock show.

The crowds will stream in the front gates, from Roma to Brownsville and every point in between. The rodeo is an iconic event seeing another year to celebrate and commemorate its role in regional community life.

“We’re so grateful,” Risica said. “The Valley has always supported us.”