Vendors and attendees can expect several changes once the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show begins in March.

Food vendors will now be placed outside the exhibit hall and be charged a 20% profit fee. Non-food vendors will pay a flat rate.

“We did have that last year, the only difference this year is we moved our food vendors out of the exhibit hall — outside — and that's where the 20% is coming from,” RGV Livestock Show President Mike Risica said.

Risica said the changes were due to inflation, and that the board looked at other livestock shows throughout the state to get an idea of what they were charging.

“It's not like we're going up on prices because we want to try to make more money,” Risica said. “It's just that we have to cover our overhead, and then everything else we give back to the kiddos in the form of scholarships and form of premiums."

Other changes include a no charge "Blast Pass" card that visitors can add money to or link their credit card to it and use it throughout the stock show to pay carnival rides and food.  

The Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show will run from Thursday, March 9, 2023 through Sunday, March 19, 2023.