HOUSTON — The first Go Tejano Day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was in 1990, and more than 30 years later, it has grown to be one of the season’s most well-attended days.
More than 114,000 people poured into NRG Park for the annual event on Sunday. The attendance at the rodeo and concert in NRG Stadium was over 70,000.
“It’s such a big day for the community, especially the Latino community,” HLSR President Chris Boleman said.
The day is a merging of Texas cowboy culture with that of the Mexican vaquero.
As the city evolved, so did the day.
More and more Houstonians began to see it as a day that was made for them.
“I think that’s a direct reflection of the community,” Boleman said. “As the city becomes more diverse, and we know the city of Houston is such a diverse community, for the people that represent the Latino community, this has become a really important day to them.”
Always held on a Sunday, Go Tejano Day holds the title for the third most-attended rodeo day in history, and it has been the stage for some of the rodeo’s most memorable moments.
Not only are performances specific to the day, so are some of the events.
The finals for this year’s mariachi invitational were held Sunday, as well as Fiesta Charra, an exhibition of traditional Mexican folk dance, music and horseback riding.
It is one more day that visitors are excited to see return.
“We’re just so happy that it’s back things just couldn’t be going any better,” Boleman said.