Heading into the final weekend of the 2022 National Western Stock Show, attendance numbers are looking strong, according to President and CEO Paul Andrews. 

“We have had 460,000 stock show fans through the doors as of Thursday,” Andrews said via email. “We are very happy heading in to our final weekend.”

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Visitor estimates before the show stood at 700,000. Owners from 40 states entered animals into Stock Show events and participated in the rodeos. 

The 16-day celebration of agriculture, rodeo, commerce and Western heritage returned this year after the pandemic forced its cancellation in 2021. And the omicron variant flare did impact visits, but not too much, Andrews said. 

“We are thrilled to be only down 18% going into the final weekend,” Andrews said. “With Covid impacting the entire state, as well as blizzard conditions in many states affecting our livestock exhibitors getting here, we know many of our followers were not able to attend.”

Highlights for the weekend include: Super Saturday with 3 semi-final rodeos, as well as the draft horses competing in the popular draft pull; Sunday is Fan appreciation day, with grounds admission tickets for adults reduced to $12 and children to $4. 

For a full schedule and tickets, visit the National Western Stock Show website.