NFR Downtown Hoedown

Dec 7, 2023

By Patrick Everson

In Las Vegas, the first Thursday in December is among the most anticipated days on the calendar. Almost equally as anticipated is the first Wednesday of December.

That first Thursday marks opening day of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, now prepping for its 38^th run at the Thomas & Mack Center.

But that first Wednesday means it’s time for the Downtown Hoedown, the formal kickoff to the 10-day Wrangler NFR. So per usual on this Wednesday night, throngs of rodeo fans gathered under the Fremont Street Experience canopy to kick up their heels to concerts throughout the evening, and of course partake in food and beverage.

Shane Smith and The Saints performing at the Downtown Hoedown on December 6th, 2023. | Photo by Patrick Everson

Cameron Bradberry was out from Brownwood, Texas, with a couple of buddies, soaking in the concert by Shane Smith and the Saints on the Main Street Stage.

“I like the Texas country they’re playing,” Bradberry said, in a tip of his Resistol to the band from Austin, Texas. “We love Fremont Street. We’d rather stay here than anywhere else. Lotsa casinos and concerts, and you can walk to all of them.”

Trent Coble joined Bradberry on this trip. Coble, from Fort Worth, has been out here six times during Wrangler NFR week, with his last visit also in 2021 He loved the entire vibe going on Wednesday night – the concerts, the drinks, the cowboy/cowgirl crowd and more.

“This is still laid-back old Vegas. Everything else is too fast-paced for me,” Coble said, noting the Hoedown – and really Fremont Street throughout the NFR – is great for the budget-conscious cowboy.

“This is what it’s all about,” he said. “Not all of us can afford to go to the rodeo. So we can come here for the Hoedown, then go to the watch parties during the rodeo. You can enjoy all this and have a great time, without breaking the bank.”

From left, Trent Coble, Cooper Lawson and Cameron Bradberry made the trek from Texas to attend Wednesday night’s Downtown Hoedown and subsequent Wrangler NFR-related events over the next few days. | Photo by Patrick Everson

Cooper Lawson of Sweetwater, Texas, was with Coble and Bradberry on this trip. Lawson also came out in 2021, but at that point, COVID was still weighing on people’s minds. Not so this year, and Lawson – definitely in the younger set, but old enough to have a beer in hand – reveled in the Downtown Hoedown scene.

“Hell yeah! It’s awesome,” he said. “You don’t get to do something like this in Texas.”