Hondo Rodeo Fest

What Hondo Rodeo Fest does

Hondo Rodeo Fest is a privately held live entertainment company that produces multi-day rodeo and country music festival events at major professional sports venues across the United States. Founded in 2024 under the legal name The Hondo Rodeo Festival, the company debuted at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, and has since expanded to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans (April 2026) and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (February 2027). The core product is a unified three-part experience: a free outdoor Hondo Street Fest (food vendors, brand activations, live music), the Million Dollar Rodeo (an invite-only, eight-event all-star professional rodeo competition with a $1 million prize purse and a proprietary non-sanctioning-body format), and a two-part Concert Series featuring headline country music acts such as Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson, Creed, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Technology infrastructure consists of a proprietary ticketing and floor pass management system with QR code authentication and scanning validation, an event management platform coordinating multi-venue rodeo operations, and an eight-discipline scoring system with judge-based (1-25) and time-based events. Distribution is anchored by Ticketmaster for primary ticket sales and a proprietary floor pass booking portal (floorpasses.thehondorodeofest.com), supplemented by Hearst Television (WDSU-TV/MeTV/Very Local app) broadcast partnerships.

The business model blends transaction-based event revenue with sponsorship and government funding. Primary revenue streams include event ticket sales (single-day and multi-day packages), floor pass upgrades ($300 GA, $500 VIP), VIP suite rentals (Floor Boxes up to 20 guests, Diamond Club Suites for 18-36 guests), corporate sponsorships (Coors, Wrangler, The Stillery), vendor booth fees, and affiliate commissions on hotel bundle packages through Jampack Travel. Government and quasi-government sources include a $2 million State of Louisiana public funding allocation for the New Orleans event, partnership with Legends Global for venue operations, and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation for event promotion. The customer base spans rodeo and Western lifestyle enthusiasts (NFR qualifiers and World Champions as participants, plus dedicated fans), families and festival-goers (free Street Fest entry), and corporate partners and VIP guests seeking premium hospitality. Additional differentiation comes from community-integrated partnerships with Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) inmate competitors and the 1017 Project food donation initiative, which together distributed 35,000 pounds of beef to Louisiana food banks during the 2026 event weekend. James Trawick serves as CEO.

Name

Hondo Rodeo Fest

Legal name

The Hondo Rodeo Festival

Website

https://thehondorodeofest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hondo Rodeo Fest is a privately held live entertainment company producing multi-day rodeo competitions and country music festivals at major NFL/MLB stadiums in Phoenix, New Orleans, and Tampa, monetizing through ticketing, VIP upgrades, sponsorships, and government-backed event funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Equestrian & Rodeo Facilities (MPAKAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs (MPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Professional rodeo events
• Live music festivals
• Country music concerts
• Rodeo event production
• Western sports entertainment

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from ticket sales to rodeo competitions and concerts at major stadiums. Single-day and multi-day packages available. Base tickets include rodeo and both nightly concerts.
2. Floor Pass Upgrades: Premium upgrades offering GA ($300) or VIP ($500) floor access during concert performances. Sold as add-ons to base stadium tickets.
3. VIP Suite Rentals: Private VIP Floor Boxes accommodating up to 20 guests with food/beverage credit and exclusive access. Diamond Club Suites for 18-36 guests with elevated hospitality.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorships from brands including Coors, Wrangler, and The Stillery. Partnership tiers include vendor booth placements and brand activations at street festivals.
5. Vendor Booth Fees: Street Fest vendor booth fees for food, merchandise, and brand partners. Contact via [email protected].
6. Hotel Package Commissions: Partnership with Jampack Travel for hotel bundle packages. Host hotels include AC Hotel and Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hondo Rodeo Fest produces a three-day live entertainment event combining an invite-only, eight-event professional rodeo competition with a $1 million prize purse, two nightly country music concerts, and a free outdoor street festival celebrating Western culture. Events are hosted at major professional sports venues across Phoenix, New Orleans, and Tampa, with revenue generated through Ticketmaster ticket sales, premium floor pass and VIP suite upgrades, corporate sponsorships, and vendor booth fees.

Product overview

Hondo Rodeo Fest is a single unified live entertainment event combining three components: the Hondo Street Fest (free outdoor festival with vendors and activities), the Million Dollar Rodeo (invite-only eight-event professional rodeo competition with $1 million prize purse), and the Concert Series (two-part live performances by country music headliners). The event is produced at major sports venues including Chase Field in Phoenix, Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Premium upgrade options include Floor Passes, VIP Floor Boxes, Diamond Club Suites, and Hotel Packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hondo Rodeo Fest The main three-day festival combining professional rodeo competition, country music concerts, and Western culture celebration held at major sports venues in Phoenix, New Orleans, and Tampa.
• Hondo Street Fest A free outdoor festival featuring food vendors, shopping, brand activations, live music, mechanical bull riding, and petting zoo held daily from noon to 1AM with no ticket required.
• Million Dollar Rodeo An invite-only, eight-event all-star rodeo competition featuring bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie down roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, and bull riding, with a $1 million prize purse and Maverick bonus for top competitors.
• Concert Series Two nightly live music performances from top country music artists following the rodeo competition, with floor pass upgrades available for front-row viewing.
• Floor Passes Premium upgrade add-ons providing floor area access during concerts, available in General Admission ($300) and VIP ($500) tiers, requiring a separate Ticketmaster event ticket.
• VIP Floor Boxes Private premium experience on the arena floor accommodating up to 20 guests with private seating, dedicated hospitality, food and beverage credit, and exclusive access to rodeo and concerts.
• Diamond Club Suites Private club-level suite experience for 18-36 guests with indoor hospitality, elevated views, stadium seating, barstools, couches, private restroom, and TV access.
• Hotel Packages Bundled event pass and hotel accommodation packages offered through partner hotels including AC Hotel and Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix for convenient event experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 million total prize purse with average winners earning $20,000 and round winners $12,000
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, minor and major.

• WDSU-TV (Hearst Television)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 April 2026Exclusive broadcast partner for Hondo Rodeo Fest NOLA 2026. Event broadcast on WDSU's MeTV New Orleans channel and streamed on Hearst's Very Local app. James Trawick stated partnership brings event to homes across New Orleans market.
• Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Eight trustees from Angola selected to compete in rodeo events based on merit. Unique community integration partnership.
• 1017 ProjectcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 April 2026Charitable initiative distributing 35,000 pounds of beef to food banks across Louisiana parishes during event weekend.
• AC Hotel PhoenixminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Official host hotel for Phoenix 2026 event. Booking link provided through Marriott reservation system.
• Hilton Garden Inn PhoenixminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Official host hotel for Phoenix 2026 event. Booking link via Hilton website.
• Jampack TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Travel package bundling service offering pass plus hotel combinations for Phoenix events.
• Legends GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Partnership for event operations and venue management at Caesars Superdome. Co-organizer with Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.
• Louisiana Stadium and Exhibition DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Governmental authority overseeing Superdome operations. Partnership for venue access and event coordination.
• Greater New Orleans Sports FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Sports commission coordinating event promotion and economic impact. Projecting significant visitor spending across hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
• The StilleryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 September 2025Presenting sponsor of Hondo Stillery Street Festival. Distributing partner for event promotion and brand visibility.
• Coors (Coors Banquet and Coors Light)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 June 2025Sponsorship brand for Hondo Rodeo Fest events. Crescent Crown Distributing listed as distributing partner. Brand activations at street festivals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association): The sanctioning body for professional rodeo and operator of the National Finals Rodeo. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in professional rodeo that Hondo competes against as a non-sanctioned alternative.
• Stagecoach Festival: California's marquee country music festival with a rodeo component, drawing 75,000+ attendees. Comparable in bundling country music with Western themes, though concert-led rather than rodeo-led.

Direct peers

• National Western Stock Show: Long-running Denver-based rodeo, livestock exhibition, and Western heritage event. Comparable in combining professional rodeo competitions with broader Western culture programming and stadium-scale venue operations.
• Country Thunder: Multi-city country music festival with Western-themed activations and major headliners. Comparable in its touring multi-city format and premium-tier VIP experience strategy.
• Calgary Stampede: The world's largest outdoor rodeo and Western festival, drawing ~1M attendees annually with rodeo, concerts, and cultural events. The international gold standard for the combined rodeo + music + Western festival format that Hondo is emulating at U.S. NFL/MLB scale.
• Cheyenne Frontier Days: Historic multi-day rodeo and outdoor Western festival featuring PRCA competition and major country headliners. Comparable in combining elite rodeo with music and Western cultural programming.
• Professional Bull Riders (PBR): PBR operates invitational and touring bull riding events at major arenas across the U.S., with high purses and event-day entertainment. Most directly comparable to Hondo in combining elite rodeo athletes, premium ticket tiers, and stadium-scale production.
• RFD-TV's The American: The American is a competing million-dollar invitational rodeo held at AT&T Stadium, positioning itself around elite non-sanctioned competition. Hondo is a direct strategic rival in the high-purse rodeo invitational category.
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: The world's largest rodeo, combining PRCA competition with major concert headliners at NRG Stadium. Comparable in bundling rodeo and country music at stadium scale, though with a much longer operating history and broader scope.

Regional players

• Tortuga Music Festival: Fort Lauderdale country/beach music festival. Comparable in combining country music with festival-style entertainment in a Florida market where Hondo is also expanding, though Tortuga lacks the rodeo competition component.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheHondoRodeo
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHondoRodeo
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehondorodeo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thehondo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hondo Rodeo Fest