The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo recently concluded their Rabbit Costume Contest at NRG Arena on Monday, March 4 at around 6 p.m.
Students were asked to bring their furry friends and creativity to NRG Arena. With costumes like football players, princesses and more, it was a tough choice for the judges to decide who came up with the greatest costume idea.
The winner of the Best Overall category was 15-year-old Nyla Brewer with Bay City FFA. Brewer decided to dress her English Spot rabbit, T-bone, as a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, her favorite food.
Brewer said her most memorable experience while creating her costume was cutting each piece of yarn to perfectly tailor her rabbit and make him look as perfect as possible. “He looks delicious and that’s what people most look for in rabbits,” Brewer added.
Earning the Most Elaborate first place award was 18-year-old Mia Aguilar from Manvel FFA. Aguilar decided to create a claw machine with some of her favorite stuffed animals along with her Harlequin rabbit, Bun Bun, as prize toys.
Aguilar said she created her project within two days and enjoyed the process. “I was looking for something that would be fun to make. We did a wood skeleton of it. And then I just added cardboard sides, and then I painted it and added trimming to it with duct tape edges,” Aguilar said.
Unfortunately, there was no official name sheet for any of the participating contestants. The only information provided was contestant numbers due to the high volume of participants.
2024 Rabbit Costume Contest Winners:
- Most Elaborate: Contestant #36, Mia Aguilar, Claw Machine
- Most Colorful: Contestant #26, 80s Dance Workout
- Best Rodeo Theme: Contestant #36, NRG Stadium
- Best Character Impersonation: Contestant #67, Harry Potter and Snape
- Funniest Costume: Contestant #9, Investigative Reporter
- Best Overall: Contestant # 45, Nyla Brewer, Spaghetti & Meatballs