There’s a distinct Western feel around Las Vegas this time of year, with casino patrons awash in denim, flannel, cowboy hats and big, shiny belt buckles.
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, a competition and cowboy culture hoedown, pulls into town for more than a week each December.
This year’s festivities — which include Cowboy Christmas, a Western expo and shopping experience at the Las Vegas Convention Center — run today through Dec. 10. The main attraction, the rodeo, is contested nightly in front of 16,672 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV.
The NFR attracts the sport’s top bareback riders, steer wrestlers, team ropers, saddle bronc riders, barrel racers and bull riders.
