The Woodlake Lions Rodeo is celebrating 70 years this Mother’s Day Weekend, May 10-11, 2025 at the Woodlake Lions Rodeo Grounds in Woodlake, Calif.! Hosted by the Woodlake Lions Club, the rodeo will feature top specialty acts in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA); top stock from legendary stock contractor, Flying U Rodeo Company; and today’s top competitors on the professional rodeo circuit, including Visalia’s famous rodeo cowboy, Lefty Holman, who is entered to compete in the saddle bronc riding.
“Rodeo has been a longstanding tradition each Mother’s Day Weekend for 70 years in Woodlake,” said John Wood, Woodlake Lions Rodeo Chairman. “As we celebrate this landmark anniversary of our rodeo, we look forward to seeing our rodeo fans, and new rodeo fans at ‘America’s Most Beautiful Rodeo Grounds’ this Mother’s Day weekend!”
Tickets are on sale at www.woodlakelionsclub.com, and will be available at the gate. General admission is $20, children 12 through 4 are $15, and children 3 and under are free. Gates open both days at 11 a.m. so fans can shop the vendor booths and enjoy their famous deep pit BBQ lunch, with rodeo performances beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Cowboys and cowgirls from throughout the country will be pulling into the town with “true western hospitality” to compete in the seven events of rodeo: bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, team roping, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, and barrel racing.
The 2025 Woodlake Lions Rodeo will feature two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, Anthony Lucia, along with rodeo clown/barrelman Kyle “Hashtag” Lamon, and tricking riding performances by Canadian professional trick riders, Bella Da Costa and Shelby Pierson. Closing out the rodeo performances will be Woodlake’s fan favorite, the jaw-dropping stunts by motocross daredevils, Flying U Rodeo’s The Flying Cowboyz.
Both days will include a crowd favorite, Mutton Bustin’, where local children will ride sheep, competing for a trophy buckle. Other special features will include performances by local drill teams: Visalia Rockettes and Reining Chaos. The adrenalin-pumping bull riding event includes the 2023 and 2024 California Rodeo Circuit Finals professional bullfighter team, Stanley “Ray Ray” Taylor and Warren Enz.
Following the rodeo performance on Saturday, May 10, the Woodlake Lions Club presents the annual “After Party” presented by Michelob Ultra, which is free with rodeo admission for 21 and over. The party will feature a concert by Woodlake’s hometown rodeo cowboy and recording artist, Justin Lawrence and The Double Average Band. DJ music will also be provided by DJ Double LL, Louie Lopez.
Sunday, May 11 will be a celebration of Mother’s Day, along with the annual “Fiesta Day” to include performances during the rodeo by the charra group, Escaramuza Valle Real!
“We’d like to thank our major sponsors of the 2025 Woodlake Lions Rodeo: Valley Pure, Bueno Beverage and Michelob Ultra, Las Espuelas, Alex’s Paint and Body, Spence Fence Company, Woodlake Drive-In, Griswold LaSalle Cobb Dowd & Gin LLP, Monarch Ford, Santa Fe Aggregates, LE Homes/Ledesma Enterprises, Cinch Jeans & Shirts, Boot Barn, Raising Cane’s, Valley Pacific Petroleum, Woodlake Drive-In, Jack’s Gas, and Mid-Valley Disposal,” said Wood. “We have had 70 years of rodeo tradition in Woodlake because of our sponsors, rodeo fans, our hard-working volunteers, Flying U Rodeo Company, and the rodeo contestants who travel near and far to compete at our rodeo.”
The Woodlake Lions Rodeo Grounds is located at 19400 Ave 398 in Woodlake, Calif. For more information on the Woodlake Lions Rodeo, follow @woodlakelionsclub on Facebook and Instagram, or visit www.woodlakelionsclub.com.