Boots, Buckles, and Mutton Busting: Your Guide to the 2026 Dripping Springs Fair & Rodeo
Jordan Blackburn · April 30, 2026
Memorial Day weekend is coming up — and Dripping Springs knows how to celebrate it right.
The annual Dripping Springs Fair & Rodeo returns May 22–24 at Dripping Springs Ranch Park, bringing three days of rodeo competition, family activities, and good old Hill Country tradition.
Whether you are a rodeo regular or bringing the kids for the first time, here is what to know before you go.
What Is the Dripping Springs Fair & Rodeo?
It is a full Texas rodeo, held right here in the community, spanning an entire Memorial Day weekend.
The event is a CPRA/UPRA-sanctioned rodeo, which means you are watching real competitors earning real money. This is not a performance show — it is competitive rodeo, and the skill level in the arena reflects it.
But the event is built for families and the broader community just as much as it is built for competitors and fans. The mix of free events, ticketed rodeo performances, and hands-on kids activities gives you plenty of ways to engage with the weekend.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, May 22
- 8:00 PM — Rodeo performance
Saturday, May 23
- 12:00 PM — Ranch Rodeo (free admission)
- 1:00 PM — Cornhole Memorial Day Tournament
- 6:00 PM — Mutton Busting ($50 per child, must be under 60 lbs, first-come-first-serve)
- 7:00 PM — Rodeo (Adults $20 | Children $15)
Sunday, May 24
- 9:00 AM — Competitive Slack
- 8:00 PM — Rodeo performance
Do Not Miss: Mutton Busting
For families with young kids, mutton busting is the highlight of the whole weekend.
Here is how it works: a child under 60 pounds hangs on to a sheep for as long as they can while it runs across the arena. Kids are geared up for safety, the crowd goes wild, and pretty much every single one of them walks away feeling like a rodeo legend.
Spots are limited and strictly first-come-first-serve. If mutton busting is on your list, arrive early on Saturday afternoon and get in line before the 6:00 PM start. Entry is $50 per child.
Free Events and Family-Friendly Extras
Saturday's Ranch Rodeo at noon is free admission — a great entry point if you want to take in the event before committing to full rodeo tickets.
Food vendors and local goods will be on-site throughout the weekend. There is also a Cowboy Church Service as part of the program — a tradition for many rodeo families in the area.
It is a full-weekend experience, not just a single event.
Getting There
The Dripping Springs Fair & Rodeo is held at:
Dripping Springs Ranch Park 1042 Event Center Drive, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
Ranch Park is just off Hwy 290 east of downtown Dripping Springs. Parking is available on-site. Tickets are available at the door, with discounted rates online — visit cityofdrippingsprings.com/fair-rodeo for details.
Why It Matters
Dripping Springs has added thousands of new residents in the past decade. New restaurants, new developments, more traffic, more everything. It can feel like a different town than it was five years ago.
Events like the Fair & Rodeo are a reminder of what has always been here — and why it still matters.
This is community. Cowboys and cornhole and kids on sheep and neighbors running into each other in the stands. It is the kind of thing you bring your kids to not just for the entertainment, but because this is what Dripping Springs is made of.
May 22 is four weeks out. Mark it on the calendar.
Tickets: Available at the door or online at cityofdrippingsprings.com/fair-rodeo (discounted online rates available).
