Welcome to Friends of the Cow Palace
Celebrating 75 years! ...Everyone has a story about the Cow Palace—stories as diverse, inspiring, and often eccentric as Northern California itself. The Cow Palace has been a place of innovation and community celebration since the 1930s.
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To learn about exciting community programs, such as Step into the Light, Reading Rodeo, and the new San Francisco Farm Bureau, visit the Cow Palace community support page here.
From its start in the depths of the Great Depression to today, the Cow Palace has hosted the famous and infamous, traditional and rebellious, serious and hilarious, local and international. With a winning combination of size, affordability, location, (convenient parking!), and history, the Cow Palace is an invaluable “People’s Palace” now and for the future. Together we’ll keep it a vibrant part of the Bay Area for decades to come.
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And don't miss, The Extraordinary Cow Palace, at the San Mateo County History Museum exhibit NOW thru November 2026. Learn more here.
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The Cow Palace--owned by the people of California--is a locally managed State Fairground. Since 1941, the Cow Palace has hosted a broad array of events from the Grand National Rodeo, to Dreamforce, to the Great Dickens Christmas Fair.
The Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show is the premier benched dog show on the West Coast. Attendees can meet and get to know outstanding dogs by breed.
On November 2, 1960, JFK gave his last major speech before the election at the Cow Palace. His speech laid out plans for the Peace Corps, which has served around the world since the early 1960s.
The Cow Palace--owned by the people of California--is a locally managed State Fairground. Since 1941, the Cow Palace has hosted a broad array of events from the Grand National Rodeo, to Dreamforce, to the Great Dickens Christmas Fair.