Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair returns with more entertainment

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The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is returning to Surrey’s Cloverdale Fairgrounds from May 17 to 20 with new and fan-favourite attractions and activities.

This year’s rodeo will see 96 invited professional cowboys and cowgirls compete in five performances over the course of the long weekend. More than $300,000 in prize money is up for grabs, with performances including bull riding and ladies’ barrel racing. Rodeo admission is free for those aged 2 and under, $7 for youth, and $20 for people aged 13 and over.

Admission into the fairgrounds starts at $12 and is free for children aged 12 and under, granting attendees access to more than 50 food trucks serving global cuisines, an Indigenous village, live performances, and an artisan market.

“Every year, we try to do something a little bit different,” says Kathy Sheppard, president of the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association, the organization that manages the event.

“This year, we’ve brought on more artists, more musical entertainment for the crowds, as well as some new free activities, such as the Extreme Dog show. This is the second year for the Indigenous village.”

Extreme Dogs is a North American stunt dog show group that promotes animal rescue and pet adoption.

The World Round-Up Freestyle Skateboarding Championship is also returning for its 11th year at the event, which is where global professional and amateur skateboarders will compete for $17,000 in prize money.

Other activities include a lumberjack show, which features action like axe throwing and log rolling, pro wrestling at the event’s Longhorn Saloon, farm animals, and local craft beer and wine.

“We have the Buckaroo Barn, which is a kid-friendly area. It’s interactive for the younger patrons to come with their families, and what’s [featured] inside there is called the Brick Corral, [there] will be a professional Lego builder there,” Sheppard says.

“There’s very few professional Lego builders, and he will be building a massive … western boot. And then on Monday, they will be crashing it, so that’s exciting.”

There will be more than 30 artists performing music at different stages and inside the Longhorn Saloon. The headline performances are Canadian musical groups 54-40 and Chris Buck Band, both of which are on May 19.

To get unlimited access to more than 35 rides from West Coast Amusement at the fair’s midway, attendees can purchase passes for $45.

There will also be a parade on May 18 at 10:00 am at Cloverdale Town Centre, with classic cars, floats, marching bands, horses, and dance groups among the sites to see.

“[From] the city, we’re asking for a proclamation to declare the City of Surrey Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair Week,” Sheppard adds. “We’re asking people and we’re encouraging people to dress in their traditional western wear and just come out and see what’s happening in Cloverdale.”

More than 70,000 people attended last year’s rodeo and fair, Sheppard says, with about 300 volunteers helping to put on the event every year.

Now in her second year as president overseeing the rodeo, Sheppard looks forward to having a successful event and making the association proud.

“It’s a sense of tradition, taking pride in your community, and being proud of where you’re from and where you live within the City of Surrey, within Cloverdale,” she says.

Interested attendees are encouraged to buy their tickets online ahead of time for ease at the gates, and the fair is trying to go cashless as much as possible, Sheppard says.

For more information about the rodeo and fair, visit cloverdalerodeo.com/. To purchase tickets for admission to the fairgrounds, rodeo, rides, and saloon, visit the event’s Showpass page.