NFR watch parties in the Las Vegas Valley

The Thomas &Mack Center takes in 180,000 fans each year during the 10-day Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. But there are probably another 180,000 fans without tickets on a nightly basis.

So where do they go? Thankfully, for decades now, there’s been a solution via NFR watch parties all over town. And more are added every year.

Each year, I make a one-night trek around Vegas to hit a few of these parties. Friday was that night this year, and per usual, the venues and the fans did not disappoint.

So saddle up and come along for the ride.

6:45 p.m. Friday, Dawg House Saloon, Resorts World

OK, we’re gonna go out of order here. Dawg House Saloon was my second stop Friday night. But this watch party was so good that it had to go first.

Which is saying a lot, considering that Resorts World and the Dawg House have only been around since 2021. But in four years, Dawg House general manager Anthony Lane and his team have built a tremendous NFR viewing party.

There’s a huge big screen at the front of the room, surrounded by a few smaller — though still big — TVs. Several more TVs are around the room and at the bar. Sightlines are tremendous throughout, and the live feed pumped in from the Thomas &Mack Center sounds fantastic.

Of course, there’s no shortage of food and beverage options, either.

It’s pretty hard to beat. Several members of the Tarleton State University Alumni Association had the best table in the house, a big high-top with a perfect vantage point of the big screen.

“We were told Resorts World was a great place for a watch party, so this is the first time we’re trying it,” said Tami Condon, from Fort Worth, Texas, not far from Tarleton State’s Stephenville campus. “This is amazing. It’s a front-row seat with a huge screen.”

Cindy Hess, director of admissions at Tarleton State, was equally impressed.

“You feel like you’re part of the rodeo, even though you’re not there,” Hess said. “It’s up-close and personal. It’s nothing like being at home watching on TV. It’s even better.

“And you’re surrounded by everybody who wants to be here.”

The group of six was focused on NFR saddle bronc rider Brody Wells, a Tarleton State product. As it turned out, Wells won Friday’s go-round and a hefty check for $33,687, drawing big applause from the alums.

6 p.m. Friday, The Tavern, FontaineBleau

FontaineBleau Las Vegas is the newest megaresort on the Strip, opening last December. But it quickly learned that it needed to get into the Wrangler NFR game, hosting concerts and putting rodeo action in front of its patrons.

Each night, NFR fans can head to The Tavern, adjacent to the sportsbook, to take in the show. Depending on the sports schedule — in this case, UNLV was playing Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship football game — there might not be rodeo audio. But there were ample TVs with the NFR feed, including one of the big screens in the sportsbook.

It actually worked out well for the Lindsey family, from Boise, Idaho. Todd Lindsey, wife Cassy, daughters Belle and Kate, and son Reed are all rodeo fans. But they’re also Boise State fans, so they got the best of both worlds.

“We went to the rodeo Thursday night, and we’re going Saturday night,” Kate said while watching the second go-round as the family prepared to get dinner at The Tavern. “It’s nice that they have the NFR on a bunch of different TVs.”

Kate echoed a sentiment that a lot of rodeo fans point out each year: Watch parties give you insights that the arena can’t match, taking viewers right down into the bucking chutes.

“You get camera angles that you wouldn’t get at the rodeo. It’s nice to see it from that perspective,” she said. “It’s almost as if you’re a person working in the chute.”

And Kate would know. The 18-year-old is a rodeo cowgirl, competing in this week’s All-In Barrel Race at Orleans Arena.

It’s the third year that the Lindseys have traveled to Vegas for the NFR. Todd says there’s more to the viewing parties than just watching the rodeo.

“I love the people you meet. They’re all pretty kindred spirits,” he said.

Added Belle: “The main thing I like is just being together in a new place. If you can’t go to the NFR, then it’s fun to be somewhere where you can share the experience.”

7:45 p.m., Gilley’s, Treasure Island

What more do you need to say than Gilley’s? The establishment houses one of the most popular nightly NFR watch parties, with wall-to-wall rodeo fans every night.

Keaton Graser, wife Megan and a few friends were crowded around a small high-top table, happy to have a little space at a big party. Everywhere you look, there’s a TV displaying NFR action, including a giant big screen. So no matter where you sit — or stand — you can soak in the rodeo.

“It’s great because of how many TVs are in here. And I like the fact that it is live,” Keaton said. “I appreciate the insight that you get from the rodeo, because of all the camera angles.”

And the service beats the arena experience, too.

“I like the ease of ordering drinks from my seat.”

9 p.m., The Showroom, South Point

No NFR watch party tour is complete without a stop at the South Point. It’s where everybody goes before, during and after each night’s go-round. Cowboys and cowgirls take over practically every square inch of the hotel-casino.

The Showroom is packed all 10 nights, not just for watch party, but the nightly go-round buckle presentations and live concerts that follow.

Scot Corbin, a rancher from Antimony, Utah, has come to Vegas almost every year since the NFR moved here in 1985. The South Point viewing party is his home away from home. He sits at the same booth in the back corner each year, joined by many of the same people.

“I just love the atmosphere and I love rodeo,” Corbin said. “So I always come back here. It’s just got the best atmosphere.”

Over the years, Corbin and booth-sharing friends Paige Ryan, Phil Brown and Grant Pasley have made countless new friends at the South Point viewing party.

“One of the best things about coming to this viewing party is all the people we’ve met. Even just standing in line, the relationships we’ve built just waiting to get in here,” Brown said. “There are so many interesting people. It just blows you away.”

Added Ryan, who like Brown hails from Apple Valley, Calif.: “It’s a better experience than being at the arena, to be honest.”

Especially when you want a drink. Corbin, with a Coors Light in each hand, noted it’s much easier to get a beverage at the watch party.

“I haven’t gone on to the Pendleton yet, but I will soon enough,” he said, alluding to the preferred whiskey brand of many NFR fans.

Sure enough, moments later, a round of Pendleton arrived at the table. Followed by a toast to another great viewing party.