The Rodeo Masbateño is held every April in Masbate City and is the largest rodeo in the Philippines — the country's one genuine piece of cowboy culture, transplanted from Spanish colonial cattle ranching and kept alive by the island's baquero tradition. Events include bronc riding, bull wrestling, steer roping, and cattle branding competitions that attract participants from across the island and spectators from Manila who have never seen anything quite like it.
The rodeo typically coincides with the Masbate Town Fiesta in April, turning the city into a week-long festival. There are parades, cultural performances, and a beauty pageant alongside the livestock events. If your dates align, this is an unmissable window into a corner of Philippine culture that has no equivalent anywhere else in the country. Book accommodation well in advance for the festival week.