National Finals Rodeo Moves From Las Vegas to Arlington, Texas

Get your boots ready. The 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo will be in Arlington this December.

The NFR will take place on Dec. 3-12 at Arlington’s Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. The Arlington and Fort Worth convention and visitors’ bureaus and sports commissions will be rolling out the event that brings the finals back to its Texas roots.

The first events were held at the Dallas State Fairgrounds beginning in 1959. Since 1985, the finals have been at the Thomas & Mack Center University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The venue is not available this year for live, in-person events due to the pandemic and coronavirus restrictions in Nevada.

“We are so pleased to be at this amazing stadium for the most celebrated event on the rodeo calendar,” said George Taylor, chief executive officer of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “ We are committed to delivering a spectacular event for our fans, and we are thrilled to be in Texas for it.”

Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams is glad for the event to go back where it started.

“From cattle drives, museums and even the names of our professional sporting teams, our love of cowboy culture runs deep here in Tarrant County,” he said. 

“We’ve roped a big one,” said mayor Betsy Price of nearby Fort Worth.

Seats will be sold in groups of four with separation between groups in an effort to limit contact among people, a press release states. 

Globe Life Field management wants to encourage all rodeo guests to check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services websites for health and safety guidance. 
Fans right be in the mood to hear Texas born and bred country music singer-songwriter Cody Johnson’s single “Dear Rodeo,” which he describes as a love letter to the rodeo.