Cal Poly rodeo sold out last year. How to snag tickets to this year’s event
Cal Poly’s infamous Poly Royal Rodeo is returning to San Luis Obispo this spring — and if it’s anything like last year, tickets will sell out fast.
Tickets go on sale online on Wednesday at noon for the 84th annual rodeo, Cal Poly said.
The rodeo starts on Thursday, April 9, with three nights of events that include everything from barrel racing to country music performances.
Here’s what to expect from the rodeo this year and how to buy tickets.
Rodeo to feature competition and country music
On Thursday, patrons can expect a non-traditional rodeo experience, with “a special motorcross performance by The Flying Cowboyz and high intensity bullfighting performed by Bullfighters Only,” concluding with a drone show, the release said.
The annual rodeo performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, Cal Poly Rodeo’s senior and master’s students will perform. Cal Poly’s team has won 45 national titles since 1949, more than any other college rodeo program, the release said.
Then, Saturday’s event “will feature the top collegiate rodeo athletes from the West Coast Region who have advanced to the championship performance from the weekend’s earlier rounds,” the release said.
The competition’s events include barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding and steer wrestling.
Events on all three days start at 6:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday, spectators will have the opportunity to enjoy some live country music at the end of the night.
“On Friday, Bayker Blankenship, a 20-year-old rising country music star from Livingston, Tennessee, will take the stage after the rodeo performance,” the release said. “On Saturday, Waylon Wyatt, a 19-year-old country music singer from Hackett, Arkansas, will perform.”
Last year, the rodeo was held at the Manfred and Jean Sander Arena in the Cotton Rosser Rodeo Complex on campus — which accommodated about 3,000 people per night.
But this year, the rodeo will take place at Spanos Stadium, which can hold 12,000 guests.
How to buy tickets
On Wednesday at noon, tickers will become available online at https://ticketscalpoly.evenue.net/events/CPR.
A general admission ticket costs $50, while Cal Poly students can purchase a $30 ticket for the Thursday performance. Children younger than 3 can enter for free.
Cal Poly will also sell a limited number of VIP tickets for $150.
“All proceeds from the event will benefit the Cal Poly Rodeo Program,” the release said.
