The Cloverdale Rodeo is saddling up for a springtime return in Surrey
A huge rodeo and country fair is officially returning to Surrey this spring.
The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is happening from May 19 to 22, its first event after a three-year hiatus.
This year’s 75th-anniversary rodeo features live competitions, entertainment and midway rides, food trucks and more.
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A total of 96 participants will compete in this year’s invitational Roughstock Rodeo Events and Ladies Barrel Racing.
Besides the competitions, visitors can check out the 132nd Annual Country Fair. Highlights of the family-friendly event include the Westcoast Lumberjack show, Longhorn Saloon, the Indigenous Village, and All-Star Wrestling.
Sergei Bachlakov/Shutterstock
The annual Cloverdale Rodeo Parade helps kick things off on Saturday, May 20 with floats, marching bands, vintage vehicles, and more for all ages to enjoy.
Guests of the Country Fair can also visit the Craft Beverage Zone as well as over 40 food trucks with three ribbers.
Cloverdale Rodeo/Facebook
The rodeo has faced controversy in recent years, with the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) stating that key animal welfare issues need to be addressed.
In 2022, when the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition announced that it would be postponing its event due to venue availability, a VHS rep told Daily Hive that it was “an important opportunity to move away from the use of animals as a form of entertainment.”
“Virtually all animal welfare organizations in Canada oppose cruel rodeo events, including the BC SPCA and Humane Canada,” said the society’s rep. “VHS has a number of concerns related to the use of fear, pain, and stress to make animals perform in rodeos.”
Bull riding event in 2004/Cloverdale Rodeo
Chantelle Archambault of the Vancouver Humane Society also wrote that “rodeos are the subject of growing criticism in British Columbia and around the world.”
“Rodeo events cause unnecessary pain, fear, and stress to animals, both at the event and in countless practice sessions, all for a few moments of so-called entertainment.”
Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair 2023
When: May 19 to 22, 2023
Time: Various times
Where: Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair Grounds — 6050A 176th Street, Surrey
Tickets: Various prices. Children 12 and under are free for Gate admission. Purchase online
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