Overview
- The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo announced Wednesday that it will build a more than 1 million‑square‑foot agricultural complex on land it already owns west of Highway 288 with a roughly $300 million budget and a planned groundbreaking in late 2026.
- The new site will include a roughly 5,000‑seat arena, two large barns and administrative space and is intended to be in use for the 2029 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
- Rodeo leaders say the project is fully privately funded with no taxpayer money expected and that the organization will own and operate the new venue rather than leaving the county to shoulder capital replacement costs.
- The rodeo will split programming between Reliant Park and the new complex by moving all horse shows, some livestock and breeding shows, archery, agricultural mechanics, auctions and youth educational contests to the 288 site while keeping marquee events, concerts and the carnival at Reliant Park.
- The move responds to Reliant Arena’s aging condition — the building was constructed in the 1970s and a 2019 county study found it past its useful life — and it could ease congestion during the rodeo, enable year‑round educational programming and change planning ahead of the lease that expires in 2032.