Helldorado Days grabs bull by horns with PBR partnership

Helldorado Days has been around since 1934, but this year it won’t be putting on the festivities alone.

The Professional Bull Riders will team with the historic event to put on the three-day show starting Friday and ending May 15.

PBR’s “Last Cowboy Standing” will headline the festival Friday and Saturday. The annual rodeo is scheduled to run during the three days.

“Took about five years to get everybody lined up,” said PBR CEO Sean Gleason about merging with Helldorado Days. “We were able to talk to the Las Vegas Centennial Committee and Mayor (Carolyn) Goodman, and we were able to work out a deal to bring those two brands together and manage the event portion of all the Helldorado Days. This makes it a big western lifestyle weekend event.”

Helldorado Days, which has been held downtown, is moving to the Las Vegas Village across from the Luxor on Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Gleason expects the outdoor venue to fill up throughout the weekend for the rodeo and the “Last Cowboy Standing,” one of the major events on the PBR Built Ford Tough Series.

“Helldorado has been downtown the last several years, and it kind of lost a little bit of its luster,” Gleason said. “So it’s a chance for us to kind of take this great brand that has been around since 1934, one of the coolest events in the business, and bring it back to life.”

Tickets are sold at Ticketmaster.com, and day passes can be purchased by calling 1-800-732-1727. Festival grounds tickets are $10, rodeo tickets start at $15 and “Last Cowboy Standing” tickets start at $25.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter:@gmanzano24