Fiesta de los Vaqueros

Vaqueros, Fiesta de los

Last full week in FebruaryFiesta de los Vaqueros is a weeklong event in Tucson, Ariz., featuring the "world's longest non-motorized parade" and the largest outdoor midwinter rodeo in the United States. The fiesta starts with the parade—a two-mile-long procession of more than 200 entries, including such old horse-drawn vehicles as buckboards, surreys (with or without the fringe on top), western stagecoaches, and Conestoga wagons. The first parade was in 1925; now about 200,000 people line the parade route.
The eight days of rodeo include the standard events as well as daily Mutton Bustin' contests. In these, four- to six-year-olds test their riding skills on sheep. There are also demonstrations by Appaloosa trick stallions and by the Quadrille de Mujeres, a women's precision-riding team.
CONTACTS:
Tucson Rodeo Grounds
4823 S. 6th Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85702
800-964-5662 or 520-294-1280; fax: 520-294-1379
www.tucsonrodeoparade.com