The 83rd annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo rolls into the Central Coast this week for five days of action in the arena.
The competition kicks off Wednesday with the Xtreme Bulls series, followed by a full slate of rodeo events Thursday through Sunday.
“It’s going to be a great year. We’re bringing the bulls back for a second time, which is super exciting,” media director Johnna McGuire said. “People are just excited.
“It’s America’s 250th birthday — what more patriotic way to kick it off before July 4 than rodeo, right?”
While Wednesday features bull riding only, the following four days will include more bull riding plus tie-down roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, bareback riding, barrel racing and breakaway roping.
Along with the pro rodeo competition, community events such as junior breakaway roping, Elks team roping and mutton bustin’ will take place.
In addition to the action in the arena, highlights of the five-day event will include the crowning of the 2026 Elks Rodeo queen Friday night plus a Saturday morning parade.
Four candidates have been vying to capture the rodeo queen crown, spending several weeks raising funds via various events.
The quartet and their sponsors are Annabella Williams for the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club, Morgan Fasse for St. Joseph High School, Reiyna Sarin for the Allan Hancock College Bulldog Boosters and Savannah Salcido for the Kiwanis Club of Guadalupe.
The top fundraiser will replace 2025 Rodeo Queen Samantha McDonald, sponsored by Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County. Over the decades, various queen candidates and sponsors have raised more $18 million distributed to youth recreation and other programs.
Hours after the crowning, the new queen and her court will appear in the annual Elks Rodeo Parade.
Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, the parade entries will feature this year’s theme, “America’s 250th Anniversary.”
The more than 130 entries will travel south on Broadway, starting at Mill Street and ending at Enos Drive.
The parade’s grand marshal is Patrick Cusack, owner of auto dealerships and other business ventures. He also recently revived the Santa Maria Speedway.
The parade’s junior grand marshal is Amelia Noelle Pompa, a Ralph Dunlap Elementary School student and Elks Hoop Shoot winner.
Bill Ostini, the 2026 Elks Citizen of the Year Award recipient, and Mike Arndt, Elk of the Year, also are expected to participate in the parade.
At the end of the route, a street fair will fill the JCPenney parking lot at 1321 S. Broadway.
Multiple awards will be announced after the parade, including for best overall float, musical unit, community entry, youth entry and mounted group along with most outstanding equestrian individual.
The parade entry lineup, by number or name, can be found by clicking here.
Each rodeo performance is dedicated to someone special to the rodeo, with Robert Dorado recognized on Wednesday, Michael Miranda on Thursday, Alex Posada on Friday, Juan Azevedo on Saturday and volunteer Natalie Bennett on Sunday.
Rodeo performances begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, at 6 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Gates at the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center, at 4040 Highway 101, will open two hours before each performance.
Along with VIP and grandstand tickets, the rodeo offers tickets for the midway only where action in the arena can be seen on large screens.
Tickets can be purchased on online at elksrec.com or at the box office.