Aggieland takes its livestock seriously. So the Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo, now in its 15th year, feels less like a sideshow and more like a hometown reunion that happens to include sheep.
It isn’t just one weekend, either. The fair stretches across most of October at the Brazos County Expo Complex in Bryan, so you can pick the part that fits you.
Before the big weekend
It kicks off October 9 and 10 with a BBQ cook-off. The next weekend is build-off season, with welding and woodworking on Friday the 16th, then an AgRobotics contest and a LEGO Master Extravaganza on Saturday. Welders one day, LEGO builders the next, and somehow it all works. Midweek has smaller contests, from quilts to a barrel race, so there’s something going on most days.
The big weekend, October 23 to 25
Friday and Saturday each have a headliner on the main stage, and the lineup is posted on the fair’s site. Friday is also mutton bustin’, for kids 4 to 7 who weigh 55 pounds or less. Small kids, big sheep, and nobody has ever won an argument with a sheep.
Saturday morning brings the Parade of Breeds at 10:30 in the North Arena. The junior livestock shows are Saturday, and the steer and swine shows follow on Sunday. The Brazos Valley Children’s Business Fair is in the Exhibit Hall too, Friday from 4 to 7 and Saturday from 1 to 5. There’s also Mt. Brazos, a goat mountain, and a barn with baby chicks hatching.
Rodeo and tickets
Rodeo nights bring bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping and chuck wagon races. Start times are on the schedule page, so check before you pick a night. The UPRA’s championship finals are part of the fair this year, on October 25, after the State Fair of Texas paused its rodeo for 2026.
Check each event’s page for admission details. For the big weekend, general admission covers ages 10 and up and gets you in for the rodeo and the concert, plus the livestock shows and the shopping. The carnival comes with that ticket, and the fair says an unlimited ride wristband bought ahead is the best deal. Fair food is never a diet plan and remember to wear boots you don’t mind getting dusty.
Galloping Snail is about 1.1 miles from the Expo. Since the fair stretches across weeks, a longer stay makes sense if you want to catch more than one weekend. We take reservations by phone only, (979) 775-3562.
After the last ride shuts down and the kids are worn out, skip the cattle drive out of the parking lot. The rig is just over a mile away, where you can rest your shells with us.