Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

I have been to several rodeos in my life but this is the cream of the crop. Every «i» was dotted and every «t» was crossed. The timing, announcing, events, etc was perfect.
All the cowboys are a pleasure, so polite.

Attended my first rodeo ever last night at the National Finals Rodeo and it was awesome! The program included:
* Bareback Riding
* Saddle Bronc Riding
* Tie down Roping
* Women’s Barrel Racing
…and then the main event, Bull Riding
You can feel the dedication these cowboys and girls have for their craft, putting their bodies on the line in pursuit of fame and ‘fortune’. The arena is enormous and the event started with a prayer and the national anthem, the former of which kind of caught me off guard but was appreciated nonetheless.
The energy in the arena is electric and its just a good old time packed with cowboys and beautiful cowgirls. The soundtrack is inspiring and the mc does a great job of keeping the crowd entertained, informed and engaged. The food situation is kind of weak, it’s mainly 1980’s era stadium fare, but there are concessions everywhere for reasonably priced food and beer and if you’re attending this for the food then you’ve missed the point.
I’ve always wanted to attend a rodeo and now that I have, I can’t wait to go again.

After living here for 15 years, I finally went to my first NFR event. Since I’m not a Cowboy, my expectations were very low. I was pleasantly surprised to experience such an awesome event. It is 10 days of non-​stop action and partying!
Every event is action packed… with my two favorites being the Bronc Riding and Bull Riding.
The key to really enjoying the rodeo is to get there early and spend some time outside the Thomas & Mack enjoying the food stands and beer tent. You can find Philly Steak Sandwiches, Burritos, Italian Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches, Fries, Hot Dogs, Burgers, BBQ, and Pizza… and much more. The food is better outside the arena than inside, which is your typical arena type food.
The beer is reasonably priced and your limited to your basic domestic beers. If you want craft beers, head inside the Thomas & Mack and they have a few vendors that serve better stuff. That’s the only positive to the food choices inside.
Another tip is to make sure you dress warm. It’s the middle of December and it can get chilly outside. Oh, and don’t forget your Cowboy Hat!
Will I return? Hell ya!

During this annual event in Las Vegas one will see more Wrangler Jeans than ever imaginable. Yee Haw!
Now that I have that out of the way… this event encompasses a week and a half and is completely filled with events, parties, rodeo stars, country music, etc. You may not like ‘country’ when you arrive, but I guarantee you will by the end of your stay.
The tone of the whole city is better, dare I say happier, and I believe it is all because of the rodeo participants and fans. There is no pretense around rodeo peeps, just an underlying politeness that follows them no matter what situation. Now this does not mean they are not a hoot and not a ton of fun. Quite the opposite. My sister and I had such a great time being around all ‘the hats’ as we called them.
I highly recommend attending the rodeo in person. It lasts about 2 hours each night. There are shuttle buses at various casinos taking fans to and from the rodeo arena and the rides are free. The Cowboy Christmas Marketplaces (I believe there are three) are filled with vendors selling boots, hats, handmade jewelry, ranch furniture, hand-​tooled leather goods and even horse trailers. This year there was country music at the Mirage, also free, and watching everyone dance to the music was great. There is just too much to list. Just go check out Vegas around the first week in December and you will see what I mean. Now giddy up little dogies.

Darn it Lily — you beat me to the review!
Last year my sister and I accidentally visited Vegas during the NFR. It was so fun to see all the peeps and shop at Cowboy Christmas that we returned this year and bought tix to the rodeo for Monday night.
Monday was Pearl Harbor Day so there was a whole patriotic thing going on, including members of the armed forces presenting colors, two Pearl Harbor vets honored, flags distributed to all attendees, and Lee Greenwood singing I’m Proud to Be an American. Pretty cool.
It was our first rodeo and we found that it is much more interesting to watch live than on TV. This was about the best organized event I’ve ever attended, from the free shuttle buses to the rapid pace between events. The crowd was great and the competition was a lot of fun to see. The night we were there it was Bulls 10, Cowboys 0.
I’ll be back. And I completely agree with Lily about the eye candy around Vegas during rodeo week. If I was a single woman in my twenties I’d head on over to the post-​rodeo parties every night at the Mirage and enjoy me some dancing with the cowboys. Hee ya!

I came to Vegas on the weekend where the Finals Rodeo was starting… it was so interesting. Every single casino you walked into, you’ll get cowboys and cowgirls galore!
Shhhh…don’t tell anyone, but cowboys do exsist. These were real live in the flesh cowboys, with the tight jeans, plaid button ups (tucked in), big belt buckle, cowboy boots… and to finish off the outfit a big ass cowboy hat!
I’ve never been anywhere with tons of cowboys just walkin’ around. There were block parties sponsered by crown royal where some of the little streets were closed down on Las Vegas Blvd. and they had drinks, country music and a mechanical bull.
I was very impressed with the transformation of the Vegas strip into a rodeo finals for all the cowboys! It was fascinating, growing up in Southern California, I’m not too exposed to real cowboys, perhaps just at the country line dancing bars I’ve been to, which I call the cowboy bar. But this was a real treat for me.
Now I can cross off meeting real life cowboys off my list. Thanks Rodeo Finals for holding it in Vegas! Yippee ki yay Mo…