Las Vegas — When The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, attendees will be able to enter into a new area on the east side. The area, Cowboy Commons – Where Friends Gather, will feature two stages, a boot shine, an NFR historical display, the Rodeo Saloon and more.
Free to the public, Cowboy Christmas is open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (PT) daily from Dec. 5-14 and also features more than 350 exhibitors and additional interactive elements for rodeo fans.
Each day, The Cowboy Channel Stage will host the following programming from the area:
The Luke Branquinho Show – starting at 10 a.m.
The Call: Hosted by Steve Kenyon – starting at 11 a.m.
Shoulda Been a Cowgirl – starting at noon
Rodeo Deep Dive Panels – starting at 1 p.m.
Zero In – starting at 1:30 p.m.
NFR Tailgate Party – starting at 2 p.m.
The Cinch Stage will add another dimension with additional programming throughout the day. The schedule includes:
No Spin Rodeo Podcast – starting at 9:30 a.m.
RumpChat Podcast – starting at 11 a.m.
Cheers It’s Chelsea – starting at 1 p.m.
NFR Performance Replay – starting at 2 p.m.
“With the renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center now complete, we have been able to combine the areas at the east entrance into Cowboy Commons – Where Friends Gather, a new 25,000-square foot area,” said Bo Gardner, vice president of corporate marketing for Las Vegas Events. “This energetic new area will include both The Cowboy Channel Stage and the Rodeo Deep Dive Panels, as well as the Cinch Stage that features the RumpChat Podcast. In addition, there will be new interactive exhibitors, NFR merchandise, plenty of tables and the Rodeo Saloon for our attendees to enjoy with friends.”
Adjacent to the east entrance, attendees will be able to find parking in the Platinum lot, as well as other transportation options, including the Las Vegas Loop, rideshare and taxi staging.
To add to the overall experience, RMEF’s Hunter & Outdoor Christmas Expo will be co-located upstairs in the South Hall with The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas. Over the past 37 years, Cowboy Christmas has attracted more than 5.5 million attendees.
Wrangler Rodeo Arena – For the first time, the Wrangler Rodeo Arena, the home of the YETI Junior World Finals, will be located in a large, tented area south of the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Bronze Parking Lots. Featuring a seating capacity of more than 900 fans, the arena will host a variety of events and competitions. The YETI Junior World Finals will feature contestants 19-years-old and younger competing in many of the events the pros take part in at the Thomas & Mack Center, including bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, girls and boys breakaway, team roping, tie-down roping, pole bending and barrel racing.
Ariat Rodeo Live Stage – The daily programming kicks off each day with Live with Lucia with host Anthony Lucia starting at 10:15 a.m. Cowboy Conservation with hosts Shane Minor and Garrison Allen and Flint Rasmussen in Outside the Barrel continue at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively. The RMEF Calcutta caps the day starting at 1:30 p.m.
Cowboy Christmas Village presented by Clint Orms – This festive area, located on Level 2 of the South Hall, will include photo walls, Christmas trees, daily appearances by Santa Claus from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and more.
Bites and Brews – Located adjacent to the Cowboy Christmas Village, Bites & Brews features a variety of custom food and beverage carts.
The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas is the only official gift show of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Sold out for 359 consecutive performances in Las Vegas, the Wrangler NFR attracts the top 15 contestants in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. Under the new contract with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association that runs through 2035, the purse in 2024 is more than $12.5 million. Qualification is based on the 2024 PRCA World Standings.
For more information on the Wrangler NFR and The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas, please visit NFRexperience.com or through social media at /LasVegasNFR and use #WranglerNFR. For the latest Pro Rodeo news and Wrangler NFR coverage, please visit prorodeo.com or through social media at @PRCA_ProRodeo.
Source: NFR Experience