by Matt Payne
Dickies Arena
2021 won't be seeing one of Fort Worth's most iconic events take place.
The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, originally scheduled for Jan. 15 – Feb. 6, has been canceled due to COVID-19. This is only the second time the event has been canceled — the other time being 1943, during the height of World War II.
"The Stock Show is canceled in an effort to overcome an enemy common to all Americans," Stock Show president and general manager Brad Barnes said in a video announcement Friday. "Today's enemy is invisible and very deadly, having taken the lives of more than 210,000 Americans in this point and time. With more than 1.2 million Stock Show guests, exhibitors, and competitors converging into the various buildings on the Will Rogers complex during our 23-day show, the chances to harbor and spread coronavirus well beyond the North Texas region, especially in the midst of flu season, is too great a risk to take for the public good."
The decision to cancel came after a unanimous vote by the Stock Show's executive committee Thursday. According to a news release, daily Stock Show attendance can exceed 140,000 people, with exhibitors traveling from approximately 235 Texas counties and 40 states. The Stock Show consulted with infectious disease and public health professionals who deemed the event "very high risk" for the spread of COVID-19.
"Short-term gain is no substitute for the long-term wellbeing of our many loyal exhibitors, guests, their families, and the community at large," Barnes said.
See Barnes' full video announcement below.
