California Salinas Rodeo reports a 7.5 percent increase in attendance and local organizations will benefit

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) - With the 2023 California Salinas Rodeo now in the books, organizers reported a 7.5% increase in attendance this year compared to last year.

"It's the biggest crowd I think i've seen in the two or three years I've been doing it," says Wayne Johnson, a kitchen worker at the rodeo.

With over 60,000 people packing the stands, organizers say this is the most attendance recorded in over 20 years.

"It was a lot of work, a lot of work and just keep going and going and going and running out of food."

Tickets on Friday were sold out and over 16,000 people attending Saturday and Sunday.

"I've seen a lot of people from like Montana, Alaska. So it's just it's a diversity to see such such beautiful people everywhere around the world," says Saamuel Madrid who works for flower company.

In 2022, rodeo organizers raised 560,000 to local non-profits and organizations.

Although attendance organizers don’t have the exact amount of money made this year, they say a large portion of that cash will be donated.

"That's a huge part of the California Rodeo. And our like legacy here in the community is giving back to the community," says Mandy Linquest, the Marketing Manager.

Mandy says they will announce where the money is going soon, but was able to tell me some of the organizations that benefited from working during the rodeo.

"Lots of local nonprofits, Monterey bay veterans drive our shuttles to help transport people from the parking lot into the facility so they don't have to walk," said Mandy.

Mandy says they will have the amount of money made and where the money will be distributed by August of this year. They were only about 400 tickets away from selling out yesterday.

We also checked the number of DUI arrests were down according to the Salinas Police Department.

With 7 DUI's last year during big week and 4 this year.