Wrangler Rodeo Arena, one of the six main interactive features of The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas, will host more than 800 youth contestants in the YETI Junior World Finals vying for championships in nine events. The YETI Junior World Finals will run concurrently with The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 1 – 10.
Free to the public, The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas will be open daily from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Wrangler Rodeo Arena is located on the second floor of the South Halls within the footprint of RMEF’s Hunter & Outdoor Christmas Expo and adjacent to Bites and Brews.
Wrangler Rodeo Arena, which boasts a seating capacity of more than 1,100, 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.
The roughstock events will run from Dec. 1-4, with the Finals for these events set for Monday, Dec. 5. The timed events will then run from Dec. 6-9, culminating with the Finals on Saturday, Dec. 10.
For more information on the YETI Junior World Finals and a full schedule, click here or through social media at /LasVegasNFR and use #WranglerNFR.
Daily admission is $10. For $40, attendees can purchase a five-day pass for the dates of Dec. 1-5 or Dec. 6-10. Access to the Priefert Platform will be $20 per day for each of the ten days of competition. Admission is based on seating availability. All proceeds will become “added money” for each rodeo event.
In addition to Wrangler Rodeo Arena, The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas will include the following main anchor displays and programming elements:
• Ariat Rodeo Live Stage – Daily features include the RMEF Calcutta, Flint Rasmussen’s “Outside the Barrel,” Cowboy Revival with hosts Shane Minor and Alecia Davis and the NFR Tailgate Party;
• Ranch Water Rodeo Saloon – Every great “rodeo” needs a saloon. Located near the east end of The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas, the Ranch Water Rodeo Saloon features specialty drinks and souvenir collectible cups. In addition, with its close proximity to the Ariat Rodeo Live Stage, this will be a great place to be close to the action;
• Bites and Brews – A series of custom food and beverage carts will be located on the second floor adjacent to the Wrangler Rodeo Arena;
• NFR After Dark presented by Community Coffee – This customized area features Cloud Touch units promoting all aspects of the NFR Experience and how fans can engage at the 25 sponsor hotels;
• A new area upstairs will be Cowboy Christmas Village sponsored by Clint Orms. This festive area will include Candy Cane and Cowboy Kissmas Arch Photo Walls, custom 12-foot Christmas tree with tiny train and village, daily appearances by Santa Claus from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and more.
The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas is the official gift show of the Wrangler NFR. Known as the richest and most prestigious rodeo in the world, 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 to compete for a share of the increased purse and the coveted PRCA Gold Buckle. In 2021, the event had a total attendance of 169,539 over the 10 days of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center and has sold out more than 340 consecutive performances in Las Vegas.
For more information on the Wrangler NFR, please visit NFRupdates.com or For the latest PRORODEO news and Wrangler NFR coverage, please visit prorodeo.com or through social media @PRCA_ProRodeo.