No event in “The West’s Most Western Town” can match the action at Rodeo Scottsdale. This annual event is back for its 66th year, making it the oldest one in the city, along with the Parada Del Sol Parade. Rodeo Scottsdale is known as one of the biggest kickoff events in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, or PRCA. Last year, it drew 75 professional bull riders, which is about double what competing events will see. They’ve added a separate day (Thursday) just for bull riding to accommodate for all the contestants. For all events combined, there will be about 700 contestants which draws quite a crowd. Thousands of fans flock to Scottsdale each year to watch these cowboys from all over the country compete in a variety of rodeo events, including Bull Riding, Bronc’ Riding, Steer Wrestling, Tie-Down Roping and Barrel Racing.
Rodeo Scottsdale will take you back in time to traditional Rodeos, according to Rodeo General Manager Dave Alford. “We keep it old school. The event you see today is nearly identical to what it was like in the 1950’s. The only differences are the contestants and the location. These Cowboys will keep you at the edge of your seat the entire time.” Rodeo Scottsdale is rich in tradition with roots all over the city. The first event was actually held at the site where Scottsdale Fashion Square sits now. In past years it has also been held at the Rawhide grounds in North Scottsdale (which has since moved to Chandler) and at a facility that was located across the parking lot from Scottsdale Stadium. The West World venue has been the home to Rodeo Scottsdale since 2000, which was renovated to the tune of $50MM by the City of Scottsdale in 2015, making it one of the premier equestrian venues in the Western United States.
The event runs for 4 days, with music performances and dancing held on-site at WestWorld for the first three nights. A ticket to the rodeo also gets attendees into the evening events featuring Luke Kauffman, Rockin Robbie Hodges, and J.W. Alford (Thursday), The Voice’s Austin Allsup (Friday), Kianna Martinez and The Scooter Brown Band (Saturday).
Times for the rodeo events are 7pm-9pm Thursday- Saturday and 2 pm until finished on Sunday.
General Admission is $18 and $5 for children under 12 years old. Reserved box seats for all ages are $45 and reserved corner seats for all ages are $25. Tickets can be purchased online at https://ScottsdaleRodeo.com.
For more information, visit ScottsdaleRodeo.com or call (480) 990.3179.
