Rodeo in Tucson

Rodeo

In the last week of February, Tucson hosts Fiesta de Los Vaqueros, the largest annual winter rodeo in the United States, a five-day extravaganza with more than 600 events and a crowd of more than 44,000 spectators a day at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds (4823 S. 6th Ave., South. 520/294-8896. www.tucsonrodeo.com). The rodeo kicks off with a 2-mi parade of horseback riders (Western and fancy-dress Mexican charro), wagons, stagecoaches, and horse-drawn floats; it's touted as the largest nonmotorized parade in the world. Local schoolkids especially love the celebration -- they get a two-day holiday from school. Daily seats at the rodeo vary from $8 to $14.