Today, the operators of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo announced they are canceling the 2021 show. The annual event was scheduled to run from January 15 through February 6, 2021. The 124-year old stock show has been canceled only once before, back in 1943 during World War II.

According to infectious disease consultants and public health professionals, the Stock Show, which can attract more than 140,000 people per day, ranked the three-week event as “very high risk” for the spread of COVID-19

In a statement posted on their website, Stock Show President and General Manager Brad Barnes said, “This is a heartbreaking decision for our leadership and was not made lightly. . . We wanted to find a way to safely hold a Show for our 1.2 million guests, exhibitors and competitors. Unfortunately, the challenges we face to create practical and enforceable protocols and procedures to comply with COVID-19 guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are extremely daunting. The uncertainty of the virus potential spread across Texas and the nation during the upcoming flu season was another major factor weighing on our decision.”

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