Celebrate Black History Month, Houston rodeo-style

Cowboys, musicians, and the 2026 Black Heritage Day prove that Houston’s cowboy culture wouldn’t be complete without its long history of Black contributors.

We may take one month to reflect on the significance of Black history, but Black contributions are felt every day here in Houston and across the US. The Texas cowboy culture wouldn’t even be possible without the inclusion of Black heritage, and the team behind the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo makes sure that heritage is recognized.

The rodeo is one of the most significant fundraisers in Houston—it has committed over $30 million from this year alone to educational initiatives across the city. It’s also a seven-days-a-week, three-week-long event that features a midway filled with rides and games, a wine garden, a big-name nightly concert, and some of the best rodeo action you’ll find anywhere.

Special days honor the people who make H-Town what it is: a true melting pot of humans of all races, cultures, and abilities. It’s also a city that prioritizes showing respect through Armed Forces Day, Family Day, and Sensory Friendly Day, to name a few.

That respect is especially notable on Black Heritage Day, a time to honor the Black cowboys and cowgirls who have been instrumental in our Texas culture.

Black Heritage Day at the Houston Rodeo

March 6

The Houston Rodeo is pretty impressive all on its own, but Black Heritage Day definitely takes it up a notch. From the break of day until late night, Black history is at the forefront of the rodeo scene.

Daytime activities on Black Heritage Day at Rodeo Houston

It’s a day of celebration, and visitors will see that across the 300+ acres of NRG Park and NRG Center. On the Junction Stage alone, you’ll get a day of non-stop entertainment including live music, dance performances, and a crowd-pleasing step competition.

More than 5,000 participants take the stage, including students from neighborhoods across Houston who show off their Western-themed acts at the popular Talent Showcase.

Elsewhere on the grounds, kids will love the western heritage corral artifact displays where they can try their hand at cowboy skills like roping a steer replica. You’ll find educational and historical reminders of Black contributions throughout the park, including activations sponsored by the Black Cowboy Museum, the African American Quilting Guild, and the Prairie View Trail Rider Association.

Nighttime activities on Black Heritage Day at Rodeo Houston

Rodeo events kick off the evening entertainment in a big way—this is world-class bull riding, saddle bronc riding, and women’s barrel racing that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Of course, athletic skills aren’t limited to the riders. It takes a team of fearless men and women to step into the ring and make sure every rider makes it out safely. One of Rodeo Houston’s legendary “barrel men”—they’re the guys who distract an angry bull and help cowboys dislodge themselves from a bucking bronc—Leon Coffee, was inducted into the Rodeo Houston Hall of Fame on Black Heritage Day. He’s just one of the many Black athletes who compete in or play a crucial role in the rodeo each year.

After the rodeo ends, the dusty arena is transformed into the Star Stage, where entertainers put on live concerts to end the day with a bang. Past performers have included the likes of Bun B (who celebrated his birthday with a bevy of talented artists by his side), Drake, and the one and only Beyoncé.

So, who’s this year’s performer pick for 2026 Black Heritage Day at the Houston Rodeo? None other than the always upbeat Lizzo, who is sure to bring the house down in style.

It’s no wonder that Black Heritage Day is one of the most highly attended days of the entire event. Last year, over 128,000 people enjoyed the festivities, furthering their knowledge about the pioneer and western heritage of Black individuals in Houston.

What’s going on behind the scenes at Houston Rodeo?

It’s not an overstatement that the cowboy culture that draws so many people to Houston may not have survived without important Black contributions, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Committee demonstrated its commitment to that history when it formed the Black Heritage Committee in 1993.

Initially begun with 50 members and led by Howard J. Middleton, a civil rights activist and labor leader, the committee has worked both to promote an understanding of Black heritage in Texas and to raise funds for college scholarships for area youth.

Plus, they’ve expanded the fun beyond rodeo grounds. Each year, they hold a Western Gala to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the city, and they sponsor a golf tournament and their annual Fall Round-up Dance, with proceeds supporting educational initiatives within the community.

Those initiatives include an AG Education Program that introduces inner-city students in five middle schools across Houston to agriculture and ranching. It’s an opportunity for students to discover the different career paths available in the agriculture industry.

Why is Black heritage important to the Houston Rodeo?

The Black Heritage Committee works hard to ensure that history is accurately preserved, and the Houston Rodeo, with its mass popularity, is the perfect place to educate and inspire.

Some of the very first cowboys were enslaved Black men; in fact, one in four cowboys was African American. In the late 1800s, cattle farming over wide expanses of land required a lot of hands, and the need became greater when Texas farmers joined the Confederacy in the Civil War.

When Emancipation ended slavery and ranchers returned, they discovered that they could no longer control their growing herds without skilled laborers, and African American cowboys were as skilled as they come. So they were hired on as paid employees who herded cattle as far as the northern states and dealt with discrimination and mistreatment at every turn.

It was largely through their endurance that cowboy culture also endured, and that Texas ranches still exist to this day. So it’s only fitting that at what is often referred to as the largest rodeo in the world, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, special recognition is given to the Black contributions that helped make it all happen.

Other Houston Rodeo events where Black heritage is celebrated 

One of the most impactful and arguably coolest events of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the trail ride held in the days before the rodeo gets underway. Or I should say trail rides, plural, as there are actually 11 in total, all originating in other parts of Texas and all converging on NRG just in time for the event. They come on horseback and in wagons, recreating the first trail ride to the Houston Rodeo that took place in 1952.

Many represent multiple generations of families, and all 2,000+ participants have unique stories and reasons for their participation. The Prairie View Trail Ride Association, started in 1957, is recognized as the first Black trail ride to the rodeo and one of the oldest and longest-running Black trail rides in the US.

It was founded to promote Black western heritage, educate others on agricultural and equine traditions, and build community fellowship, and each year, it welcomes riders to join the over 80-mile trek from Hempstead, Texas, to NRG Park.

If you’d rather stay firmly planted on the ground, you can line up along the route to cheer on the trail riders, an unexpectedly emotional celebration that reminds you that it takes commitment to keep traditions alive.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, through Black Heritage Day and all of its other rodeo festivities, makes it clear that the contributions of the Black cowboy will never be forgotten.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: You won’t believe who’s headlining the 2026 Houston Rodeo