Warning: Your kids are about to ask for cowboy boots.
They’ll want to pet every horse they see, wave at every rider in the parade, and somehow end up sticky from ice cream, caramel corn, or both. They’ll insist they aren’t tired, right up until they fall asleep in the back seat before you’ve made it out of town.
For one unforgettable week every summer, Estes Park trades hiking boots for cowboy boots. Elkhorn Avenue fills with horses, music spills into the streets, and thousands of families gather beneath the Rockies for one of Colorado’s most celebrated rodeos. It’s an exciting time to be in town, but it can also feel like there’s so much happening that you don’t know where to begin. Fortunately, a little planning—and a willingness to embrace the unexpected —goes a long way.
1. Start Early. You’ll Be Glad You Did.
Rooftop Rodeo isn’t the kind of event where you show up fifteen minutes before it starts. The parade, the rodeo, the live music, the food vendors, and the energy downtown all build throughout the day, so arriving early gives you the freedom to enjoy it instead of feeling like you’re rushing from one attraction to the next. Grab breakfast before the crowds arrive, find a good parade spot if that’s part of your plan, and take a few minutes to explore downtown while the sidewalks are still easy to navigate. You’ll appreciate having the extra time later when Elkhorn Avenue is buzzing with people.
2. Dress for the Mountains, Not Just the Rodeo.
If you’ve spent much time in Colorado, you already know the weather likes to keep everyone guessing. A warm afternoon can give way to a surprisingly cool evening, especially once the sun drops behind the mountains. Comfortable shoes, sunscreen, hats, and a light jacket will serve you far better than trying to predict the forecast. And if the kids insist on dressing like cowboys or cowgirls for the day, let them. Half the fun of Rooftop Rodeo is leaning into the western spirit, and nobody has ever looked back on childhood wishing they’d worn fewer cowboy hats.
3. The Arena Is Only Part of the Story.
It’s easy to think of Rooftop Rodeo as a few hours inside the fairgrounds, but the event stretches across the entire community. Throughout the week you’ll find live music, family activities, community fundraisers, special events, and a downtown that feels more alive than almost any other time of year. Local shops decorate their storefronts, restaurants spill onto patios, and nearly every block offers something worth stopping to see. Even if you never stepped inside the arena, you’d still understand why Rodeo Week has become such a beloved Estes Park tradition.
4. Say Yes More Than You Usually Would.
The best parts of family vacations rarely happen because they were carefully scheduled. They’re the moments when someone suggests splitting a funnel cake, buying the oversized cowboy hat, stopping to listen to one more song, or taking a family picture that ends with everyone laughing because nobody could keep a straight face. Rooftop Rodeo is full of those opportunities. Let the kids chase a few extra pieces of parade candy. Stay for the encore. Wander into the little shop that caught your eye. Some of your favorite memories will come from the things you never planned to do in the first place.
5. Take Home Stories Instead of a Schedule.
By the time the day is over, your phone will be full of pictures you’ll swear you’ll organize later. The kids will be asleep before you reach the highway, and somebody will discover a parade wrapper or a ticket stub in their pocket the next morning. Those little reminders are part of the experience.
Years from now, your family probably won’t remember exactly what time the rodeo started or which event came first. You’ll remember the excitement downtown, the sound of horses on pavement, the mountains glowing in the evening light, and the feeling that, for one week every summer, the entire town came together to celebrate something uniquely Estes Park.
That’s what keeps people coming back to Rooftop Rodeo year after year.
