Picture it: horse-drawn buggies, a Wrangler-style breakfast, and a whole lot of cattle making their way through historic Houston Street — we’re taking a step back into the old Wild West.

The Western Heritage Parade & Cattle Drive will take place this Sat., Feb. 5 to commemorate Texas western heritage + celebrate the kick off to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.

While you may still be wondering how many cattle actually roam in the heart of the Alamo City, we thought we would break down some numbers + share a snapshot of what you can expect at this year’s event.
The 2007 inaugural parade began with:

35 head of cattle
60 parade participants
5,000 spectators

Now, in its 14th year, the old western celebration has grown to:

Over 100 head of cattle roaming Houston Street
50+ sheep
500+ horses
1,000 parade participants
75,000 attendees

Giddy up for a cattle crazy event. | Photo by Through His Eyes Photography

Before the parade you can enjoy:

Wrangler Breakfast | 9 a.m.-noon | Free | Experience an old west breakfast with biscuits, gravy, sampling + vendor booths on Santa Rosa St. between Houston Street and Commerce St.
Stampede 5K Run/Walk | 9:30 a.m.| $45 | The race kicks off the Western Heritage Parade & Cattle Drive — the deadline to register is Fri., Feb. 4.

All parade participants tell the continuing story of Texas. | Photo by Through His Eye Photography

The main event:

The parade will start at 11 a.m. at I-35 + Houston Street and end at the Alamo.
A few parade participants include the Fort Hood 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Sam Houston Caisson, and Texas Heritage Riders.
If you can’t catch the event in person, you can watch it live on KSAT-12 or online.

After the parade:

Vaquero Cook-Off | 8 a.m.-11 p.m. | Historic Market Square | Free | Enjoy some of the traditional staples of the vaqueros from the 1800s including Cook’s Choice (a traditional Mexican dish), chili, and Menudo.

We hope you have a yee-haw good time and make sure to tag us in your photos on Instagram.