2010 Dates: Friday, July 23 through Sunday, August 1.
Now in its 114th year, Cheyenne Frontier Days is the largest outdoor rodeo and Western celebration in the world. Get a true taste of the Old West as the “Daddy of ‘Em All” delivers thrilling PRCA rodeo competition, down-home food and world-class entertainment. The event draws some of the nation’s top rodeo cowboys, all vying for a piece of the million-dollar purse — the largest regular-season payoff in rodeo. This year’s event kicks off Friday, July 23, with a variety of events — including a concert with rock ‘n’ roll legends KISS — and continues with nine days of PRCA Rodeo, a carnival, shopping and cultural villages, nightly entertainment and much more.
Rodeo Events
Each morning begins with a free Timed Event Slack, where you can see steer wrestling, steer roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing and team roping. Each day’s ticketed ($12–$24) rodeo competition starts at 12:45 p.m. and includes the excitement of bull, saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding as well as the crowd-favorite Wild Horse Race, in which teams of three attempt to saddle an unbroken horse and ride it once around the track. Can’t tell a “hazer” from a “pigging string”? The CFD website explains all the rodeo events here. You can check out daily video highlights at The Rodeo Hand blog.
Entertainment
Check out the lineup of nightly entertainment, which includes concerts by KISS, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland and Alan Jackson. And on July 26 and 27, members of the Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division will compete for a chance to advance to the PBR Built World Tough World Finals. Families always enjoy the Carnival Midway, which features a variety of concessions, games and thrilling rides. For those of legal drinking age, the Buckin’ A Saloon is the place to be to two-step to live music. On July 24, 27, 29 and 31, a spectacular Grand Parade will wind through downtown Cheyenne.
Historic and Cultural Events
Don’t miss daily attractions such as the CFD Old West Museum, which offers visitors a look at the American West and the history of the rodeo, and Wild Horse Gulch, a Western village filled with artisans, merchants and period-dressed characters. Check the full events schedule for more historic and cultural things to do, including the Western Art Show & Reception, Indian Village and Fort D.A. Russell Days.
Travel Information
In Southeast Wyoming, Cheyenne is at the crossroads of I-25 and I-80 and is just 90 miles from Denver. And, just in time for Frontier Days 2010, it’s easier than ever to get to thanks to two new daily flights from Dallas-Fort Worth. Cheyenne Regional Airport also has daily flights to Denver and Dallas. Learn more about lodging, dining and other things to do in Cheyenne here.
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