Cloverdale Rodeo & Exhibition Association — Local services in Surrey

I would give the rodeo a five but they lost a star for the following reasons. I have never been to a rodeo before, so naturally I had questions. I tried to purchase tickets off the website but it wasn’t very clear, so I called the number for assistance and she made me feel dumb for asking questions. The rep did not know what time the rodeo started so I thought I should just try calling again later to get a time and purchase the tickets at the door. When we arrived at the rodeo we parked (which is $10 - cash only) and started making our way to the gates. In order to attend the rodeo we had to purchase gate tickets which were $10 and the rodeo tickets were $25. I was told if attending rodeo you get a combo ticket from the gate which is cheaper, but I was told that’s no such thing. Then the confusion began - we asked the ticket booth where the rodeo is taking place and they pointed towards the casino... that made no sense so I decided to ask someone else. I walked in and got my stamp and asked the gentleman which direction I need to head towards and he pointed me in a way. We made it to the food truck area - which was fantastic!!! We grabbed a bite and sat around since we had 30 mins to kill and I still saw no signs or anything saying which was the rodeo was so I decided to ask someone. They pointed me into a red barn - it didn’t look right so I left my parents at the bench and decided to go check it out myself. Upon entering I was told it’s a saloon and they had no idea where the rodeo was. I walked out in a panic because now I’m worried if it was towards the casino. That walk itself will take us 20 mins. So I asked another person while walking in the opposite direction and he pointed me towards the actual rodeo. Finally we made it. I really wished that with such a big event everyone is knowledgeable enough to know where things are if your working or volunteering. When we finally got to the rodeo we had an absolute blast. It was amazing! My family enjoyed it a lot. Only disappointment I had was that we came for bull riding and everything was horse riding. On the phone and at the ticket booth I specifically asked for tickets to see the bull riding. Other than that...

This was our first year attending and honestly, this event is for those with deep pockets. It was not for a family like ours. It was also way too busy. Just not fun. We got tickets from friends for the entry as well as the rodeo. Here we thought it would be easily enjoyable as we didn't have to pay much at all. But there's no outside food or drink allowed and security searches your bags upon entry. If they find food they throw it in the trash 😕. It was horrifying watching them do this to families with kids. The food prices were terrifyingly high and the girl at the food stand said organizers of the event actually made them increase their prices. She said we're paying double the amount they typically charge! 🤯 Then when we went to the rodeo, it was labeled as "sold out", which insinuates everyone can be comfortably seated. It was overwhelmingly crowded. There were people standing everywhere, unable to find seats. My husband and I had to stand and even when standing we were constantly being told to move to different areas because we were "in the way". How do they charge people for this??? We didn't stay long because it was simply uncomfortable. The kids enjoyed the rides which was a plus. The wrist bands are a better deal than getting tickets. The games are an absolute scam! $10 for one dart to hit a balloon and hopefully get a prize that you can find at the dollar store 😵‍💫. This event was not worth it for a one day entry. Perhaps if they had a deal for attending the full weekend it might be worth it. But it just seems to be taking everyone's hard...

Not good anymore. First time we went was in 2009. It was awesome. Rodeo had more entertaining performances. Lasso performance and horse march/dance were the highlights of the show imo. Nothing really close to that this time. I don't remember what the prices were back then, but it feels way overpriced now in May 2018. It's just a cash grab - $35 for gate+rodeo combo. Parking is an extra $10. Parking is poorly organized, also very dusty, so it was another $7 for a car wash afterwards. Rodeo was barely ok. Worst part was that it was ridiculously crowded. Btw they claim you can save $3 off combo ticket if you buy online. What a lie. If you buy online there's a $3 dollar service charge, not for the entire order, but per ticket, which means you're really paying the same online or not. Want semi decent seats? Come really early. Better yet, go elsewhere and save yourself some hard earned money. I don't regret too much that we went, but overall it wasn't worth our time and money. I don't feel like we'll be back to this...