The secret is out on the best rodeo viewing parties in Las Vegas

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret that’s really not much of a secret anymore. But just in case you haven’t heard yet:

The nightly Wrangler NFR viewing parties are where it’s at.

Each December, it’s widely understood that the Wrangler NFR is the hottest ticket in town. It’s hard to get access to a seat at the Thomas &Mack Center. But thanks to the dozens of viewing parties all around town, you can feel like you’re right down there in the bucking chutes.

And thousands upon thousands of NFR fans are on it. Friday night, I made stops at Gilley’s, The Mirage, the Bourbon Street Bar at The Orleans, and of course the South Point Showroom. All were stuffed with NFR aficionados. They get it.

Let’s walk you through the Friday night party scene, from pre-rodeo right through to the nightly buckle presentation/after-party scene.

5:30 p.m. Friday, Gilley’s

You haven’t done rodeo if you haven’t done Gilley’s. The legendary saloon, dance hall and barbecue restaurant, located inside Treasure Island, is the first stop. And it’s bustling just a few minutes before the Wrangler NFR’s second go-round begins a couple miles away at the Thomas &Mack Center.

Among the crowd: Cameron and Jessi McKnight from Elizabeth, Colo. The couple are longtime rodeo fans, but it’s their first time in Vegas for the Wrangler NFR. Thanks to some friends holding seats, Cameron and Jessi are perched at a table right in front of Gilley’s big screen.

“It’s pretty good,” said Cameron, who’s done some steer wrestling in his life. “It’s not too crowded, not a bunch of people shoulder-to-shoulder.”

Jessi also has a rodeo background, in barrel racing, and found the crowd at Gilley’s energizing.

“It’s so crazy that you’re watching it on TV, but everybody is acting like they’re actually there at the rodeo,” Jessi said. “I love it. It’s my first trip for the NFR, and I used to rodeo as well, so being able to come here is pretty cool.”

At a perfectly centered high-top table for four, right near the bar, Valerie Giles of Gustine, Calif., is joined by niece Haley Pires, friend Jessica Mitchell, and Pires’ best friend Gabby Vering. Giles is on her sixth Vegas NFR jaunt and perhaps perfectly encapsulated what makes the viewing parties so great.

“We’re going to the rodeo tomorrow night, but I’ll probably see more tonight than tomorrow,” Giles said. “Great seats, good food and a big screen.”

Vering has been to Vegas before, but this is her first time here during the NFR. As 20-somethings, Vering and Pires are smitten with more than just a good vantage point of the big screen at Gilley’s viewing party.

“I like it better than normal Vegas. The cowboys are eye candy, for sure,” Vering said.

Added Pires: “You’ve gotta love the cowboys. There’s something about all the hats and the boots. You’ve got the booze and the boots and the big screen. It’s better than a football game, I’ll tell you that. I love it.”

6:45 p.m. Friday, The Mirage sportsbook

The Mirage has arguably the most unique viewing party setup, with the Wrangler NFR taking over the massive screens at the sportsbook. That’s the key for Stacey Schroll, who traveled from Nampa, Idaho, with her husband Russ Schroll.

“It’s the TVs. You can see really well,” Stacey said. “You’re not crowded in, there’s lot of space. You meet lots of great people. And there are lots of bars close by.”

Ah. That kind of access is always important.

This is Stacey’s seventh Vegas NFR jaunt, and she said the viewing parties get better each time, particularly this one.

“The atmosphere during the rodeo is great. And you know you’re gonna have great entertainment afterward,” Stacey said.

Indeed, once the rodeo wraps up, there’s a live concert on a huge stage at the back of the sportsbook. And there’s a big dancefloor in place, too, for whatever boot-scootin’ you might be inclined to do.

“I like the vibe and the friendly people,” Russ said. “It’s always a packed house.”

7:30 p.m., Bourbon Street Bar, The Orleans

It’s not all about the Strip when it comes to these Wrangler NFR viewing parties. In fact, you’d serve yourself well by stepping away from Las Vegas Boulevard from time to time. The Orleans is proof of that, as every night, its Showroom is stuffed with 600 or so rowdy fans, while the Bourbon Street Bar offers a more relaxed vibe with its viewing party.

Shelby Hilton, posted up at a long table with a group of friends from West Bountiful, Utah, had a little different spin on the viewing party atmosphere.

“It’s not the rodeo, it’s’ the people,” Hilton said. “Being able to be down here with all these rodeo people, they’re good people. It’s a different vibe. You can have 50 conversations a day with 50 different people.

“Then you add in the rodeo element, and you can’t beat Vegas. That’s what makes the NFR great.”

9 p.m. Friday, South Point Showroom

There should be a rule that any night of Wrangler NFR activity is incomplete if it doesn’t end at the South Point. You just can’t do any better.

It’s a cowboy/cowgirl corral throughout the property, and no more so than the Showroom. The nightly go-round buckle presentation and concert have this joint packed to the gills into the wee hours, and Friday night is no exception.

I walk in around 9 p.m., 30 minutes before The Cowboy Channel was to go live with its broadcast of the nightly buckle awards, for winners from the NFR’s second go-round. And it was bustling, on the way to bursting at the seams by the time the show began.

One hearty and thirsty group from Northern Nevada — Winnemucca and Eureka — stuffed nine people into a booth. They’d already been there for hours, as the viewing party was just a warm-up while eagerly awaiting the buckle awards and the Chancey Williams concert to follow.

“I’ll wait in line for four hours to hang out here. And I did!” Mitch Pollock said.

Cody Gibbs is with the group, making her second NFR trip, after also attending in 2018. It didn’t take long to remind her how much she missed the South Point party.

“It’s a good view on the big screen. It’s like being at the NFR,” Gibbs said. “And you get a good concert, the buckle ceremony and good-looking cowboys!”

Pollock knows the Wrangler NFR from all angles, having qualified to compete in saddle broncs in 2019, and he’s looking to get back to the Thomas &Mack Center soon. In the interim, he said it was totally worth it to spend his Friday afternoon waiting for the Showroom doors to open, in order to secure a booth for him and his crew.

“Most definitely. I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” Pollock said. “The atmosphere, the people here — real people — cheap beer and a free concert. The South Point is where the party is at.”