The annual Oakdale Rodeo is held over a weekend in early April at the rodeo grounds on the east edge of town and is, by any measure, the centre of the town's identity. Bull riding, bronc riding, team roping, barrel racing — the full programme, with a Saturday morning parade down Yosemite Avenue and a livestock show alongside.
If you can time a visit to coincide with the rodeo it is well worth the effort; the town fills up, every motel for miles is booked, and downtown turns into a low-key carnival. Outside of rodeo weekend the grounds are quiet and visible from the road but not really worth stopping for.