Joe Buglewicz/Las Vegas News Bureau
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo gets underway at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, in Las Vegas. The WNFR is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States.
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 | 2 a.m.
This marks the 35th straight year the National Finals Rodeo has been contested in Las Vegas, which results in a significant economic boost each December, traditionally a slow month here for tourism. Last year, NFR fans spent $110 million, on everything from shows to shopping and food. Country music concerts abound during the event’s two-week run, and many casinos, retail stores and restaurants encourage employees to dress in western apparel. Certain table games even adopt a rodeo-themed look at many Strip properties.
That feeling—and the associated revenue—won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. In 2015, Las Vegas Events and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association entered into a 10-year deal, keeping NFR here through at least 2024.
This year, the rodeo runs December 5-14 at 6:45 p.m. each night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
It's a tough ticket
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The National Finals Rodeo has sold out more than 320 consecutive performances in Las Vegas. In 2018, attendance totaled 169,171 over 10 days. Still, at press time, limited tickets remained available at unlvtickets.com. Single-day seats start at $73, with four- and six-day packages available from $292 and $438, respectively. On third-party sites, midweek tickets were on sale for as low as $65.
But you can still watch
Even if you can’t get into the Thomas & Mack Center, you can still follow all the action—for free. There are 23 official viewing parties scheduled this year at sites like the Silverton’s Veil Pavilion, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah’s and Sam’s Town Roxy’s Saloon. For a complete list of watch parties, visit nfrexperience.com/home/beyond_the_dirt.
Ooh, that smell
The pungent odor of rodeo animals becomes a fixture near UNLV while NFR is in town. Officials report there will be 310 head of bucking stock, 75 calves, 120 steers, 90 contestant horses and 50 grand entry horses here for the rodeo. And it requires a lot to feed them, such as 60 tons of grain, 70 tons of grass and 120 tons of hay.
Getting there
The NFR Express, a free shuttle bus service, will transport fans from official host hotels on the Strip and Downtown to the Las Vegas Convention Center (site of Cowboy Christmas) and the Thomas & Mack Center. The express offers 14 routes covering 24 sponsor hotel properties.
The service should help alleviate traffic near the arena. “The NFR Express is the most efficient means to get to the Thomas & Mack Center,” Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events, said in a statement. “Due to increased traffic and parking congestion at the Thomas & Mack Center, we encourage fans to consider this complimentary mode of transportation.”
Additionally, the Rodeo Express Shuttle will bring fans from the Cowboy Christmas expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center to the Thomas & Mack Center. For more details, visit this website.
By the numbers
• 15: Contestants in each National Finals Rodeo event, including bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding.
• $10 million: National Finals Rodeo prize money
• 169,171: Attendance at the 10-day 2018 National Finals Rodeo
• 2,000: Tons of dirt used in the arena and stalls
• $1.8 million: National Finals Rodeo prize money in 1985, the event’s first year in Las Vegas
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
