Welcome to “The Greatest Show on Dirt:” Dixie National Rodeo
With summer still in full, tortuous swing, it’s the perfect time to start daydreaming about your winter plans. From February 13th-26th, 2026, you can catch the “Greatest Show on Dirt” in the state-of-the-art Mississippi Fairground Complex in Jackson, Mississippi.
In 1935, Mississippi’s first rodeo took place about 85 miles down the road from Jackson in Columbia, Mississippi. Competitors came from all over the United States and Canada, eager to participate alongside world-famous cowboy Earl Bascom, later recognized as the “Father of Modern Rodeo.” Modern rodeo aesthetics started at this 1935 rodeo, the first to hold an outdoor rodeo outdoors under electric lights. In the coming century, rodeo continued to blossom in Mississippi and then across the Deep South.
Running for over sixty years, Dixie National Rodeo is the largest event of its kind east of the Mississippi River. Hundreds of highly-skilled contestants travel from all over the world to partake in classic events like bull riding and calf roping. Also in the Rodeo’s lineup is a high school rodeo event, letting local students meet and compete with their peers and giving them a chance to meet rodeo’s biggest stars.
Bull riding not your thing? Dixie National Rodeo also has a robust program of livestock shows, equestrian events, and a themed parade (the theme for 2026 is yet to be announced). If you need to pick up anything from an ATV to fishing tools to saddles, you can take a break from the action to peruse the array of vendors at the Rodeo.
And, even if everything about the outdoors and farming is unappealing, you can always attend Dixie National Rodeo for the star-studded concert lineup. Previous performers include Sam Barber, George Birge, Lorrie Morgan, Clay Walker, Zach Top, Ella Langley, and Gretchen Wilson.
Tickets generally go on sale at the end of October, available on Dixie National Rodeo’s website. Mark your calendars, dust off your cowboy boots, and get ready to enjoy over a week of Mississippi’s own historic rodeo.
