It was a packed house for the 84th annual Keremeos Rodeo for the Victoria Day long weekend.
The popular event brings three days of all the classics and favourites, from bareback riding to breakaway roping to barrel racing and of course bull riding to the community every year.
After a brief hiatus over COVID, like many events, the rodeo has worked its way back towards the heights of its popularity with 2025 seeing the best turnout in recent years.
It was so packed that the line of people waiting to get in to watch the events on Sunday stretched well back into the field of parked cars.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we鈥檙e going to have to streamline for next year,鈥� said Dave Barker, the chair of the Rodeo Association.
Being popular is a good problem to have, although it's still one that Barker says needs to be fixed since it detracts from enjoying the weekend. For the crowds of people filling the stands, it certainly didn't appear to have dampened their spirits for long, if at all.
The weather was also supportive of the event this year, with the rain on Saturday holding off until the end and shepherding out the crowds, and the sun clearing out the clouds on Sunday as the competition wore on.
The other big part of the weekend is the rodeo dance on Sunday. Tickets for the night sold out in advance, and Barker said he had been fielding calls from people up to 麻豆精选 and Vernon interested in getting a spot in.
鈥淲e sold out. I don鈥檛 know how many tickets, and I鈥檓 not sure I want to ask,鈥� said Barker. 鈥淲hen we built the new hall, they wanted to make it 80 feet, the same as Victory Hall. We should have made it 120.鈥�
The dance starts at 8 p.m. with a DJ set to keep the music going until 1 a.m..
The whole weekend capped off with the parade on Monday down Keremeos' Main Street, and the championship rounds of competition at the rodeo grounds starting at 1 p.m.
