Visit this agricultural hub and home of the famous California Rodeo Salinas this summer.
Horse folks know Salinas, California, in part for the famous Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association California Rodeo Salinas, but this town is the most populous city in Monterey County. It is located 20 minutes from the Pacific coast in central California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Nicknamed the Salad Bowl of the World thanks to its flourishing agriculture industry, Salinas is also known for being an agricultural technology global hub.
Salinas was the hometown of author John Steinbeck, who set many of his famous stories in the area. You can find touches of the author throughout the town, from his birthplace and childhood home to The National Steinbeck Center museum and memorial at California State University Monterey Bay in Salinas.
The Rodeo
With “rodeo” pronounced “rodayo” as a nod to California’s heritage — the Spanish word “rodear” means to “round up” — the California Rodeo Salinas has been in operation since 1911. It was known as the Wild West Show and held at the Sherwood Racetrack Grounds before moving to Sherwood Park in the 1920s. Held annually the third week of July, the 115th anniversary dates are July 17–20, 2025. The rodeo is nicknamed “Big Week.”
This rodeo has been inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, and in addition to the usual pro rodeo events and the Miss California Rodeo contest, visitors can enjoy a parade each day, gold tournament, cowboy poetry, the Produce Mascot Race, cowboy church, the Special Buckaroos Rodeo for children with special needs and more.
“There is so much tradition associated with the California Rodeo Salinas, and not just with the professional rodeo events,” says Mandy Linquist of the California Rodeo Salinas. “There are horse show competitions Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the finalists from the morning slack competition returning to the performance to see who wins. The California Rodeo Heritage Museum is full of displays about the rich history and legendary participants from 1911 to now.”
The rodeo has a 40-foot-long score, the longest score in rodeo. This means the steer gets a 40-foot-long head start down a chute before the roper can leave the box. It is also the only five-steer average rodeo. Since 1980, the California Rodeo Salinas has hosted freestyle bullfights as the finale of each daily performance.
“The community really embraces the rodeo by volunteering, purchasing tickets and sponsoring the events,” Linquist says. “The Salinas Valley is the produce capital of the world, so there are many agricultural companies who help make the rodeo so successful.”
Don’t Miss
During the rodeo, in Salinas and nearby Monterey, you can enjoy cowboy poetry, wine tasting, a golf tournament, a carnival, the Special Buckaroos Rodeo for children with special needs and various barbecues. Don’t miss the Kiddie Kapers Parade featuring children in costume!
This year, the rodeo will have a Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon on July 17 to welcome new inductees into the Hall of Fame.
On July 19, the rodeo is hosting its first Forever Royal Reunion, where past Sweethearts and Miss California Rodeo Salinas will gather to celebrate and reminisce. Linquist says there hasn’t been a reunion since 2015.
Fun Fact
G.S. Garcia’s bits are highly acclaimed for their quality and authenticity. Produced by J.M. Capriola Co. today, one well-known mouthpiece of these bits is the Salinas mouthpiece. John Wright of J.M. Capriola Co. says Les and Henry Garcia, upon moving back to Salinas, created the mouthpiece.
“It’s one of the most versatile mouthpieces out there — it’s very easygoing, and the majority of horses can pick it up and pack it and enjoy being ridden in it,” Wright says.
It has a copper hood contoured to the roof of the horse’s mouth, making it easy for pressure to be distributed.
“When you pick up on your bit, your response is softened; it has a cricket in it as well,” Wright says.
Find this bit and others at capriolas.com.
Getting There
By car, you can hop on U.S. Route 101, a north-south highway that connects Salinas to San Francisco to the north and Los Angeles to the south. The closest airport is Monterey Regional Airport, 12 miles away. The next closest is San Jose, California, 50 miles away.
Good Eats
Running Iron Restaurant and Saloon. This Carmel Valley icon used to be an old-time cowboy hub called the “Stirrup Cup.” Since 1980, it’s been called the Running Iron and is now a Western-themed, family-style restaurant, with a saloon still in place for good drinks. runningironcv.com
Growers Pub.Both the Dorrances and Richard Field Levine recommend “The Pub,” which is one of Salinas’ oldest establishments. Located in the heart of Old Town Salinas, Growers Pub honors Salinas’ agricultural history with its menu, cocktails and regional wines. growerspub.com
The Steinbeck House. This restored Queen Ann-style Victorian house was built in 1897 and was author John Steinbeck’s birthplace and boyhood home. Today, it is a restaurant that serves lunch Tuesday through Saturday, just two blocks west of the National Steinbeck Center in Old Town Salinas. Enjoy a meal and the gift shop while learning about this famous American novelist. steinbeckhouse.com
I grew up attending the California Rodeo for as long as I can remember, probably 6 years old and on. We went every year. As I grew up, I would take a week off from school just to hang around the rodeo grounds with my cousin and friends, also riding in the 1000 Horse Parade every year. Haha I would take my horses in my first horse trailer, all beat up, open are and totally dangerous!
Hanging out behind the bucking shuts was the highlight of my year. A real treat and learning experience, humbly listening, watching, and talking with all professional riders, ropers and their families. Pretty much everyone was willing to share their secrets, styles, techniques and personal challenges. I was even offered to warm up their roping horses! On it like flies on stink! Many times I was given old ropes and warnout gear, and with that came personal hands on, invaluable training. I thought I had died and went to heaven!
Those experiences from the California Rodeo were welded into my personality and contributed to the successes of my life.