The 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo is returning to its roots to commemorate eight decades of history at the Cotton Rosser Rodeo Complex on campus. The Poly Royal Rodeo Finals, open to the public, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9, and will be followed by a concert by a headlining country music band, which will be announced soon. Tickets go on sale March 1.

Athletes will compete for a championship title in events such as barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding and steer wrestling. “This is our big comeback event,” Coach Ben Londo said. “These students have been working hard behind the scenes for the last two years while COVID-19 precautions limited their ability to compete. Now, they get to shine.”

A special guest will also participate in this year’s Poly Royal Rodeo. The Cal Poly Rodeo Team has been working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the wish of 12-year-old Maddie Owens, of Winton, California, who at age 10 was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. She will make a cameo appearance as barrel racer at this year’s 80th annual Poly Royal Rodeo as a special guest of Cal Poly.

The Saturday evening event is slated for 6:30 p.m. April 9. Tickets are $20 for children ages 2 to 12; and $40 for general admission. Admission is free for children under 2. Tickets will go on sale March 1 at https://tickets.calpoly.edu. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Cal Poly Rodeo Program.