A member of the Pendleton Round-Up mounted band plays during the Westward Ho! Parade on Sept. 17, 2021, in downtown Pendleton.

PENDLETON — We’ve all heard about the world-famous Pendleton Round-Up, but figuring out how to experience the event can be overwhelming. On top of the rodeo itself, the Round-Up has a full week of activities.

“If they don’t come for a full week, they can’t get it all in,” Round-Up General Manager Erika Patton said. “In a perfect world, everyone would come for the whole week.”

Even with a full week, visiting Round-Up can mean prioritizing events, activities, and even restaurants to “cannot miss,” “would be nice” and “if we have time” lists. Here’s a beginner’s guide to Round-Up Week events.

Saturday, Sept. 10

Round-Up begins with two large-scale events the Saturday before the rodeo.

The annual Dress-Up Parade hits Pendleton’s downtown at 10 a.m. Organized by the Main Street Cowboys, this parade is open to the community and often features a number of entries including floats, community organizations and classic cars in addition to event groups like the Round-Up Court and Mounted Band.

That evening is the annual Kick-Off Concert in the Happy Canyon Arena. This year’s concert features Ned LeDoux at 7 p.m. and headliner Kip Moore at 8 p.m. Limited tickets are still available.

Monday, Sept. 12 and Tuesday, Sept. 13

At the Round-Up arena, Monday is the first day for “slack” competitions, which give contestants a chance to compete outside of the regular Round-Up performances. Monday’s events are breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing; events on Tuesday are tie down roping, steer wrestling, steer roping first round and team roping second round. Admission is $5.

Monday is also the first night of the Xtreme Bulls Finale at Happy Canyon. The top 24 bull riders in the PRCA and Xtreme Bulls circuit compete to become the Xtreme Bulls Champion. Gates open at 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.

“I would shop early, maybe go to slack either Monday or Tuesday morning, and roll into Xtreme Bulls the other night. It’s a good time to see what’s going on,” Patton said.

Wednesday, Sept. 14

From Wednesday-Saturday, the VFW offers an Outdoor Cowboy Breakfast at Stillman Park from 6-10 a.m., and Wednesday is the first day of the Pendleton Round-Up and the Happy Canyon Night Show. The rodeo begins at 1:15 p.m. with the “grand entry,” where the Round-Up Queen and court ride in at full speed, making two jumps into the arena.

On Wednesday the Round-Up offers tickets for a barbecue dinner in the Round-Up arena, and the meal gives just enough time to finish before the Happy Canyon Night Show, a pageant portraying the settling of the American west. Happy Canyon begins at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.

Wednesday is Farmers Ending Hunger Day at the Round-Up.

Also, most of the “Tipi Village” will also be set up to the north of the stadium. The teepees are set up primarily by members of the confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, and the village can include 300 teepees each year.

Thursday, Sept. 15

Thursday begins with the VFW Outdoor Cowboy Breakfast, followed by the Junior American Indian Beauty Contest in Roy Raley Park.

This is is also Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day at the Pendleton Round-Up, and for first-time Round-Up attendees, Thursday may be the best day to take in the rodeo.

“On Saturday, it’s really packed,” Patton said. “Thursday it’s a little easier to move around and see everything.”

Thursday is also a great day for those looking to complete the Token Trail to get a head start. This year, attendees who pick up a stamp card and receive stamps at each of the different bars around the Round-Up grounds can turn it in for a 2022 Collectors Coin.

“We have several different fun bars spread out around the grounds that people never see because they don’t make it all the way around,” Patton said. “This helps make it more of a social event — going to every bar and checking it out. Most people don’t even know we have things like the margarita bar.”

Friday, Sept. 16

The Cowboy Breakfast and the American Indian Beauty Contest kick off Friday, followed by the Westward Ho! Parade at 10 a.m. The parade allows no motorized vehicles and instead features everything from horse-drawn buggies to oxen-drawn wagons. The parade attracts participants from as far as South Dakota and Arizona.

Friday also features the rodeo, Happy Canyon and the jet flyover.

Another option is to visit the Hall of Fame, a museum that covers more than 100 years of history for the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon.

“I would say go to Round-Up, go to Happy Canyon, then go to the Hall of Fame,” Patton said. “It ties everything together, and it’s really fun.”

Admission to the Hall of Fame is by donation.

Saturday, Sept. 17

As with other days, the Cowboy Breakfast opens the day for the Pendleton Round-Up, and, if visitors time it right, they can also catch the Round-Up’s Mounted Band.

Tribal Ceremonial Dancing will take place in the Round-Up arena starting at 9 a.m., and the rodeo begins at 1:15 p.m. For experienced rodeo fans, Saturday’s rodeo finals is the highlight of a Round-Up experience, but it is also the busiest day in the arena. For first-timers, Saturday might be better spent taking in other Pendleton attractions.

“I think a lot of the first-timers don’t get downtown and see all the great stuff,” Patton said. “The vendors, the local businesses, our restaurants. To get the whole feel of the town, you have to go down to Main Street. The underground tours are also going on, then making it to the Pendleton Woolen Mills.”

Find more information and tickets at pendletonroundup.com

PENDLETON — The Main Street Cowboys are proving that the end of summer doesn’t mean the end of fun in Pendleton.

The festivities begin Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. with the 2022 Dress-Up Parade. The parade starts at the corner of SW Fourth St and Dorion Avenue heading east to Main Street and will head back toward Court Avenue to the Round-Up grounds.

Entertainment, vendors, and a carnival will be set up on Main Street from Sept. 13-17. Enjoy performances by Carrie Cunningham, Chris Jones Band, Travel’n Opry Band, Hypnotist Tammy Harris Barton and Comedian Paul Isaak. Spots for entertainment and vendors are still available for sign up. Applications are available at mainstreetcowboys.org.

The Davis Shows Northwest Carnival will also be available along with the Main Street performances. The carnival will be located at the Union Pacific railroad parking lots on South Main Street and Frazer Avenue. It will be open Tuesday at 6 p.m. to close, Wednesday through Friday at noon and Saturday at 11 a.m. Wednesday is Buddy Day where the first person’s admission is full price, and the second person gets in for half the price.

For more information on the Main Street Shows and Davis Shows Northwest Carnival visit mainstreetcowboys.org.

— Daneli Atilano