Oakley Rodeo: The Fourth of July Park City Tradition | Park City Moms

The Oakley Rodeo is the most Park City thing about Park City that isn't actually in Park City. It's fifteen minutes east, in a tiny town called Oakley, and it has been my family's 4th of July tradition for every one of the twenty summers we've lived here. We have not missed a year. Mark proposes coordinating something different every spring — a lake day, a barbecue, anything — and every spring I look at him with the look that says we are going to the Oakley Rodeo.

If you've never been: it's a small-town rodeo with the production quality of something three times its size, run by the same families who've been running it for generations. The 4th-of-July week show is the marquee event, and it's the kind of evening that sells you on the West if you weren't sold already. Modern Western fashion compulsory. Hat from Kemo Sabe optional but encouraged.

rodeo arena — Oakley Rodeo arena on the Fourth — the bleachers fill up by 7pm and you eat dinner from the truck on the way.

The Schedule

The Oakley Rodeo runs multiple nights around July 4th — the full lineup typically includes performances on July 2, 3, and 4. The 4th itself is the headline, but if you want a slightly less crowded experience, the 2nd or 3rd is honestly just as good and often easier on parking.

rodeo kid event — Mutton bustin' at Oakley is what every PC family takes their five-year-olds to. We did it twice with Maddie.

The Oakley Parade

Before the rodeo, on the morning of the 4th, Oakley does a parade through town. It's the most charming hour of the year. Tractors, horses, kids on bikes with streamers, the high school band, every fire truck within a thirty-mile radius, and candy being thrown from floats. Bring a bag for the kids; the candy haul is real.

Get there early — by 9 a.m. the curb space is taken. We claim a spot on Highway 32 near the Road Island Diner and bring camp chairs.

bronc riding rodeo — Bronc riding under the lights at Oakley. This is the Fourth of July in our house.

Parking the Field Is the Parking Lot

This is the only logistical thing you actually need to know: the parking lot is a field. Volunteers wave you into rows on uneven ground. Wear shoes you can walk in. The walk from far rows to the gate is meaningful, especially with a stroller. We've learned to:

Arrive 90 minutes before the show. Earlier on the 4th.
Bring a wagon, not a stroller, if you have small kids.
Wear closed-toe shoes — the field has goatheads.
Have cash for parking. Sometimes there's an attendant; cash speeds it up.

western straw hat — Hat-on rule applies. Kemo Sabe straws come out the night before and don't go back in the closet until Labor Day.

What You're Watching

The Oakley Rodeo is a full PRCA-style event. Expect:

The Queen Pageant — the Miss Rodeo Oakley court is presented during the pre-show, and the queens ride throughout the evening. Their outfits are extraordinary and worth the ticket alone.
Bareback Bronc Riding — the event that puts the rodeo on the regional map. World-class cowboys come to Oakley.
Saddle Bronc, Bull Riding, Tie-Down Roping, Team Roping, Steer Wrestling, Barrel Racing — the full slate.
Mutton Bustin' — kids riding sheep. The cutest seven minutes of the night.
Fireworks on the 4th, after the last event.

barrel racing horse — Barrel racing draws the local high school girls — half of them ride at the Park City stables.

The Oakley Fries

The famous Oakley fries are exactly what you think — a paper bowl of hot, crispy fries from the rodeo grounds concession, with vinegar or fry sauce or both. They are the platonic ideal of rodeo fries. Get a second order. Get the third. There's also a scone stand that runs out by halftime — get those first.

Park City summer night — Drive home down Highway 248 at midnight, fireworks still popping over the valley.

What to Wear

This is one of the few events where Modern Western dress code is actually appropriate, not costume-y. My standard Oakley Rodeo outfit:

Boots (real ones — the field demands it).
Dark wash denim or a denim skirt.
A simple white or cream top, sometimes a Western-cut blouse.
A Kemo Sabe hat — I have a black felt one I save for this kind of evening.
A light jacket — the temperature drops fast after sunset.

For kids: jeans, a t-shirt, and the cheapest cowboy hat you can find at the Smith's in Kamas. Don't bring a nice hat for a six-year-old. It will get sat on.

Tickets

Tickets are sold online and at the gate. The 4th-of-July evening sells out in the popular grandstand sections, so if you want covered seats, buy early in May or June. The bleacher sections are first-come-first-served the night of, with cash entry typically.

Twenty Oakley Rodeos in, I still get the same feeling on the drive in. The smell of the dust off the field, the sound of the announcer, the kids in the row in front of us with their faces painted. It's not a curated experience — it's a real small-town rodeo that we've been welcomed into every July, and it has become as central to our family's calendar as Christmas morning. Buy the tickets. Wear the boots. Order the fries.