After five days of bulls, boots, and barbecues, the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo rode off into the sunset on Sunday.
Businesses that spoke with KSBY say they noticed the strong attendance this year.
According to an event organizer, the rodeo reached 80% capacity on Wednesday and only had standing room available for events throughout the rest of the week.
They say that this year has surpassed attendance in years past, with the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade alone attracting tens of thousands on Saturday.
Rodeo attendee Lissa Wright says she made a two-hour trip up from her hometown of Thousand Oaks.
“[We] came out here for the rodeo. We like to come every year," she said.
Santa Maria Inn employee Emma Pope says the hotel felt the impact of the large crowd that the rodeo drew.
“We were completely sold out,” she said.
Despite the busy bookings, staff at the inn tried to have some extra fun in true rodeo spirit.
"We even changed up the dress code and everything for everyone to wear boots and jeans," Pope shared. "Rodeo is a big part of Santa Maria. People from [the] Central Coast, down south, and up north come for the rodeo. So it's really nice to see other people other than locals come. It's a nice, diverse crowd for sure.”
