The COWBOYS are back! The Cowboys are BACK!!!
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is back. The live event was sold out by March. But no worries. The watching parties are FREE and just as fun.
The goal of this blog is to help you live like a local. Entertainment of all kinds can be very spendy (I can’t wait to see what it’s going to cost to see Adele) in Las Vegas. But it’s my job to suss all the FREE events for you, my dedicated readers.
Buckle up ’cause here we go.
NFR Watching Parties Are the Bomb (Everywhere)
Welcome home, NFR. Last year the cowboys moved to the Dallas Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas because Las Vegas had much stricter Covid rules than Texas.
But now they are back home!
Did you know that rodeo was a letter sport in Texas high schools when I moved to Dallas in 1978? I knew nothing about ropin’ and ridin’ back then. It’s an acquired taste, like Scotch.
Now I love the rodeo but really adore my bull riding. If you’ve never seen a bull rider in action, well, you must.
But I digress.
Every casino in Las Vegas has an NFR watching party. But then there are WATCHING PARTIES.
My favorite watch party has always been the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa. The casino has watching parties throughout the property, but head up the stairs to the Grand Ballroom. Join hundreds of crazed rodeo fans watching the events on ginormous screens everywhere.
What’s fun about the watching party there is the casino organizes fun and games during the many TV commercial breaks. One year the casino had a raffle and gave away a pick up truck.
One of the reasons this watch party is so much fun is because the arena houses many of the NFR competing livestock. The place already has a cowboy vibe.
Down the pike, the Silverton Hotel & Casino has a watching and an after party with a live band. This is one party you can bring your kids to since it’s open to all ages. 102.7 Rodeo Radio is hosting the event.
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery just off the Las Vegas Strip will pour your a FREE beer if you show up to its watching party if you wear a cowboy hat. This is a delicious offer since the casino actually brews some pretty good beers.
(If you don’t have a cowboy hat, reach out. You can borrow mine. You can take the girl out of Texas but you can’t take Texas out of the girl.)
These parties happen for the entire 10-day rodeo. Doors typically open at 5:15.
Enjoy Heart-Pounding Live Rodeo Events (Downtown)
The Plaza Hotel & Casino is hosting the Breakaway Tie-Down event at the Core Arena. For the record, the Core Arena is downtown’s outdoor equestrian arena.
So why do you want to go to live events? Because of the smell. You really understand the rodeo when you get the prickly, pungent smell of the animals. Trust me, it makes a difference.
| Breakaway roping is a variation of calf roping. The rider doesn’t have to dismount and tie up the calf. Instead, the rider lassos the calf, stops the horse and waits for the calf to keep running. This breaks the string. The fastest time wins. This kind of roping is reserved for kids and females. (I told you rodeo was a high school letter sport.) Some locales (not America) have outlawed traditional calf roping. So the breakaway is the sport to watch. |
The event starts today and ends when the NFR does, on December 10. There are both kids and female competitions. One tranche is kids 10 and under. That has to be ah-maz-ing to watch.
There is FREE admission to all the Plaza’s rodeo events.
Drool at Downtown Summerlin’s Exotic Car Show (Summerlin)
If you prefer driving fast cars to riding wild horses, then you’d rather be at Downtown Summerlin’s Exotic Car Show.
Two dozen of the world’s most expensive cars will be on display Saturday through Monday. Alas, only the viewing is FREE. If you actually want to buy one, you can do it right there. The financiers at the Vegas Auto Gallery will be there waiting for you to sign on that dotted line. (They are the event’s host.)
I view those fine driving machines as museum quality art. I will continue to drive my beat up 2015 Ford Focus because it still gets 44 miles to the gallon. But I sure love lookin’.
The cars are packed on The Lawn by the Rock Rink.
Savor a 37-cent Whopper
This week-end Burger King turns 64. To celebrate, tomorrow and Sunday it is selling a Whopper for the original price: 37 cents.
The only catch: You have to be a Burger King Royal Perks member. So download the app and chow down!
Hey, there’s something so cowboy about a hamburger.
Have a great week-end, Las Vegas.
((hugs)) BETH Ellyn
YOUR Las Vegas Real Estate Concierge
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702.324.6911
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BA: Yale
MS: Columbia
MBA: L’ecole du Hard Knocks
Licensed in Nevada since 1996: I have previous.
When competence AND creativity matter!
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