Bishop Mule Days fills the Tri-County Fairgrounds each Memorial Day weekend with more than 700 mules and roughly 40,000 spectators, staging over a dozen arena shows covering packing, racing, driving, and riding events, alongside what organizers call the country's longest all-non-motorized parade through downtown Bishop.
Its specific animal and packing-culture identity makes it distinctive.
Begun in 1969 and expanded into a full multi-day festival by 1970, Bishop Mule Days has grown into what organizers describe as the greatest mule show on earth, reflecting Bishop's self-styled identity as the Mule Capital of the World in the Eastern Sierra's Owens Valley
Its signature event, the Team Pack Scramble, has packers unharness their mules, scatter the animals across the arena using blank gunfire, then race to recapture, repack, and lead them out, a spectacle unique to mule-packing competition
The Saturday parade through Bishop's Main and South Streets is composed entirely of non-motorized entries, a format once recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest parade of its kind, and the six-day event also includes an arts-and-crafts show, country dances, and community barbecues built around the mule-packing theme
Rooted in Bishop's identity as the self-declared Mule Capital of the World
the festival preserves working pack-mule traditions of the Eastern Sierra through competitive packing
and riding classes
alongside a parade format
entirely non-motorized
that reflects the region's historic reliance on mule teams for high-country transport and mining-era freight
Dates TBA · Usually May
Driving along US-395 is common.
Western and ranch-style clothing suits the event's working-mule culture: jeans, boots, and a wide-brim hat handle both the dusty fairgrounds arenas and strong high-desert sun. Layers help...
Keep valuables light, follow local instructions, and watch how residents use the space before joining in.
Bishop
Check official or local sources for ticketed areas, paid stands, and same-year access rules.
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Bishop Mule Days is listed for Past edition: 19–24 May 2026. Always re-check the official or local source close to travel.
The festival is listed in Bishop, United States. The map coordinate is a planning reference, not a guarantee of a ticket gate or exact venue.
6 days is the listed festival span. Add time for arrival, local transport, queues, and any route changes during the event.
Official source linked. Eventisimus separates source confidence from travel suggestions, so check final details before booking.
Bishop, CA
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