For generations of San Luis Valley families, summer in Alamosa has meant rodeo nights, cheering crowds, dusty boots, and the excitement of the Alamosa Round-UP.

That tradition will be missing from the calendar next year.

On October 20, 2026, the nonprofit Alamosa Round-UP organization announced it would not hold the event in 2027, citing deteriorating conditions at the Alamosa Fairgrounds and the growing expense of maintaining the facilities.

The announcement marks a significant change for one of the Valley's most familiar summer celebrations.

A Tradition That Brought the Valley Together

Since the early 1980s, the Alamosa Round-UP has celebrated the region's ranching heritage while bringing together competitors, families, volunteers, businesses, and visitors.

Founded by rodeo stock contractors Roy Honeycutt and his father-in-law Walt Alsbaugh, the Round-UP began as a way to give back to their hometown. Roy's family continued managing the event over the following four decades. Alsbaugh was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1990, and Roy, who established the Honeycutt Rodeo Company in 1976, died in 2020.

The event grew beyond a traditional rodeo into a multi-day summer celebration featuring professional rodeo competition, demolition derbies, entertainment, and activities for younger participants.

For many families, attending the Round-UP became an annual tradition.

It was a place to watch talented rodeo athletes, visit with neighbors, introduce children to Western sports, and celebrate a way of life that remains closely connected to the San Luis Valley.

The event also helped bring visitors to Alamosa, benefiting the community beyond the fairgrounds.

Over the years, the Round-UP earned recognition within the rodeo world. Promotional materials for the event noted its selection as the Mountain States Circuit Rodeo of the Year in 2021 and its recognition among leading rodeos in 2020.

Those accomplishments reflected the efforts of organizers, contestants, volunteers, and supporters who helped keep the tradition going.

Why the Round-UP Is Ending for Now

According to reporting by the Valley Courier and The Alamosa Citizen, the Round-UP's organizers decided not to stage the 2027 event after years of concern about conditions at the Alamosa Fairgrounds.

Dawn Honeycutt told The Alamosa Citizen that her family had discussed repairs and maintenance with the city for approximately 20 years. She said she was unwilling to continue spending the family's money on a facility it does not own.

The City of Alamosa offered a different perspective. City Manager Heather Sanchez told The Alamosa Citizen that the city spent $33,318 on electrical repairs at the fairgrounds in 2026. She said the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board had requested a comprehensive list of needed repairs from rodeo organizers to help prioritize projects within the city's five-year Capital Improvement Plan.

Sanchez expressed disappointment that the rodeo would not take place in 2027 and said the city respected the various factors that influenced the organizers' decision. The city and organizers clearly differ on whether enough has been invested in the facilities.

The reporting establishes that repairs and funding are at the center of the dispute, but it does not establish the total cost of all improvements sought or a definitive plan for the fairgrounds.

Source: The Alamosa Citizen, October 20, 2026, https://www.alamosacitizen.com/alamosa-roundup-will-not-return-in-2027/.

A Busy Final Summer

The 2026 Alamosa Round-UP was held over two weekends, beginning June 20 and continuing June 25–27 at the Alamosa County Fairgrounds.

The schedule included a demolition derby, professional rodeo competition, and live entertainment.

It offered another opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy an event that had become part of the Valley's summer identity.

At the time, few spectators may have realized that the celebration would be followed by an announcement that the event would not return in 2027.

More Than a Rodeo

The importance of an event like the Alamosa Round-UP extends beyond what happens inside the arena.

Community celebrations create traditions that connect generations.

Parents bring children to the same events they attended when they were young. Volunteers return year after year. Local businesses welcome visitors, and competitors build memories that last long after the crowds have gone home.

In an agricultural region such as the San Luis Valley, rodeo also serves as a public celebration of ranching skills, Western heritage, and the relationship between people, animals, and the land.

Losing an annual event of this kind means losing a familiar gathering place, at least for the foreseeable future.

What Happens Next?

For now, the confirmed announcement is that the Alamosa Round-UP will not take place in 2027.

That does not necessarily mean the organization has permanently dissolved, that the fairgrounds will close, or that rodeo competition can never return to Alamosa.

Those are separate questions that will depend on future decisions, funding, facility conditions, and community involvement.

The immediate issue is whether the concerns raised about the fairgrounds can be addressed and whether there is a practical path toward restoring the event.

Until additional information becomes available, its long-term future remains uncertain.

Remembering a Valley Tradition

The Alamosa Round-UP has been more than a date on the summer calendar.

For decades, it has represented the excitement of rodeo, the hard work of volunteers, the pride of local competitors, and the simple enjoyment of gathering with friends and neighbors.

Although the decision not to hold the event in 2027 is disappointing for those who have supported it, the memories and traditions it created remain part of the San Luis Valley's story.

And whatever the future holds, the people who helped build and sustain the Round-UP have left a lasting contribution to the community.