Nearly 170K attend NFR on its return to Las Vegas

By Marvin Clemons Las Vegas Review-Journal

3 years ago

Competitors gather in the arena as the fans applaud at the start of the opening night of Wrangl ... — Competitors gather in the arena as the fans applaud at the start of the opening night of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Fans are showered with confetti by the Blue Man Group during the opening night of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Zeke Thurston of Big Valley, AB., rides Vitlix Wyatt Earp during his Saddle Bronc Riding tie for first place in the opening night of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

A crowd of 17,373 attended the final round of the National Finals Rodeo at Thomas & Mack Saturday night.

From all of us behind the scenes and to those you see on the dirt, thank you for spending your time in Las Vegas for the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. We look forward to seeing you again soon – December 1-10, 2022.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. pic.twitter.com/ZOu6yDUFsP

— Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (@LasVegasNFR) December 12, 2021

For the 10 nights, 169,539 fans paid admission as the rodeo returned to Las Vegas after one year in Texas.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the sanctioning body of the rodeo, moved the event to Texas last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols in place in Nevada and Las Vegas.

The one-night attendance record stands at 18,742 in 2013 when Thomas & Mack could handle a larger crowd before remodeling limited capacity. Attendance in 2014 set the 10-performance record at 177,565.

Outside of last year, the rodeo had been held in Las Vegas each year since 1985 after a 20-year run in Oklahoma City.

There were 241,522 shoppers during the 11-day run for Cowboy Christmas.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.