Cowboy Day in the Cowboy Capital: July 25 in Bandera

By Gordon Cook · July 12, 2026 · ← All posts

Every year on the fourth Saturday of July, the whole country tips its hat to the American cowboy. It's called the National Day of the American Cowboy, and folks have been celebrating it since 2005. Now here's my question for you: if you're going to celebrate Cowboy Day anywhere in America, where else would you do it but the Cowboy Capital of the World?

That's right — on Saturday, July 25, Bandera is throwing a party, and we're 15 minutes down the road.

What's Happening at Bandera City Park

The Bandera County Convention & Visitors Bureau has a full day planned at Bandera City Park: cowboy biscuits and gravy to get you started, gunfight reenactments, trick ropers, live music, arts and crafts vendors, and plenty of family activities. The full schedule is still being finalized, so check the Bandera CVB event page before you head out — but I can tell you from years past, this is Bandera doing what Bandera does best.

And if you've never seen the Bandera Gunfighters put on a show or watched a trick roper work a crowd, bring the kids. They'll be talking about it the whole ride home.

Make a Whole Weekend of It

Cowboy Day lands on a weekend that's absolutely loaded around here:

• Friday, July 24 — Riding on Faith Rodeo at Mansfield Park Arena. The summer series runs every Friday night through July 31: bull riding, barrel racing, mutton bustin' for the little ones, and a proper Texas summer night under the arena lights.
• Saturday, August 1 — Bandera Market Day on the courthouse lawn, if you're smart enough to stretch your stay into the next weekend.

Friday night rodeo, Saturday morning biscuits and gravy in town, gunfights and trick ropers all afternoon. Now that's a weekend.

Sleep Like a Cowboy (or at Least Near One)

Here's the part where I remind you that Al's Hideaway is just about the handiest basecamp there is for all of this. We're in Pipe Creek, 15 minutes from downtown Bandera — close enough to be first in line for breakfast, far enough that when the day winds down you come home to quiet hills and one of the darkest night skies in Central Texas.

We've got 13 handcrafted log cabins with real air conditioning (it's July in Texas, friends), 10 full-hookup RV sites, and 9 cowboy campsites — and I'd argue there's no more fitting way to spend Cowboy Day weekend than a night under the stars at a genuine cowboy campsite. Bring the dog, too: we're pet-friendly with no pet fees, ever. No cleaning fees either.

And while you're out this way, you'll be staying at the closest campground to the new Kronkosky State Natural Area — the brand-new state park taking shape just down Highway 46, set to open this fall.

Cabins fill up fast on event weekends, and this is one of the big ones. If Cowboy Day sounds like your kind of Saturday, don't wait — book your dates online or give us a call at 830-510-3331 and we'll get you set up.

Until then…

Happy Trails.
Be Safe & God Bless.
— Al