PLACERVILLE — Professional rodeo returns to El Dorado County this weekend as the inaugural El Dorado Stampede takes over the El Dorado County Fairgrounds for two nights of competition, family activities and Western-themed entertainment.
The event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28-29, at the fairgrounds at 100 Placerville Drive. Organizers describe the Stampede as a sanctioned Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event featuring professional competitors and stock supplied by Flying U Rodeo.
For residents across Placerville, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Pollock Pines and the western slope, the event offers a new major rodeo attraction close to home.
“The El Dorado Stampede is the next chapter,” organizers state on the event’s official website.
Two nights of rodeo competition
The professional rodeo begins at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., giving attendees time to arrive before the main competition and participate in activities scheduled for the early evening. Pre-rodeo activities begin at 6:30 p.m.
The announced lineup includes bull riding, bronc riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping and mutton busting. The event also features the Flying U Cowboys and other entertainment intended to keep the arena active beyond the individual competitions.
Mutton busting is expected to provide one of the more family-oriented portions of the program, putting young riders in the arena in a rodeo event that has become a popular crowd attraction.
The Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers also list the El Dorado Stampede on their 2026 performance calendar, with appearances scheduled both nights.
A new addition to the local event calendar
The El Dorado County Visitor’s Authority lists the Stampede among its events for both Aug. 28 and 29, adding the rodeo to a weekend calendar that includes activities throughout the county.
The event’s organizers say the Stampede is intended to connect modern professional rodeo with Placerville’s longstanding Western and Gold Rush identity.
According to the organizers, the event is being produced by the Rosser Family and Flying U Rodeo Inc., working with Ez Events Inc. The organizers describe Flying U Rodeo as an established name in professional rodeo production.
That connection gives the event a distinctly local angle: Rather than simply bringing another touring entertainment production to Placerville, organizers are positioning the Stampede as an event tied to the area’s Western heritage.
What attendees can expect
The Stampede’s schedule calls for the same basic timing both nights:
- 4:30 p.m.: Rodeo gates open
- 6:30 p.m.: Pre-rodeo activities begin
- 7 p.m.: Professional rodeo begins
Organizers say activities before the main event will include shopping, food, drinks, children’s activities, mutton busting and a kids’ coin dig.
Saturday’s festivities are scheduled to continue after the rodeo with a 21-and-over “Stampede After Dark” party in the Mark D. Forni Building. Organizers say the event will feature live music by North Forty Country, dancing and a full bar.
The combination of professional competition, children’s activities and evening entertainment makes the Stampede more than a single arena performance. Organizers are promoting it as a two-night community event intended to attract both dedicated rodeo fans and families looking for weekend entertainment.
A weekend built around Western heritage
Rodeo has long been associated with the agricultural and Western traditions of the Sierra foothills, and the Stampede’s organizers are leaning heavily into that connection.
The event website points to Placerville’s Gold Rush-era roots and describes the rodeo as a way to carry Western traditions into a contemporary professional sporting event.
For El Dorado County residents, the event also provides an opportunity to see professional rodeo competition without leaving the county. The fairgrounds are centrally located in Placerville and serve as one of the county’s principal venues for large community events.
The El Dorado Stampede is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28-29, at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive. Additional event information and ticket details are available through the official El Dorado Stampede website.
