Despite experiencing some of the coldest temperatures on record for the event, more than 670,000 people showed up to the 2024 in the heart of Denver.
With 671,461 people in attendance, the 118th annual stock show was the 10th-most-attended in the event’s history, according to stock show CEO and president Paul Andrews.
“The energy seemed as huge as ever, even with the coldest temperatures on record for the stock show,” Andrews said. “If you had told me we were going to have such a terrible cold snap, I would’ve thought we’d see closer to 650,000 people.”
Instead, the attendance numbers were close to jumping even higher in the ranks — Andrews said the seventh-, eight- and ninth-highest attendance records all fell in the 670,000s.
The all-time record was set on set on the event’s 100th anniversary in 2006, with 726,927 visitors.
The annual attraction in north Denver includes everything from horse shows and rodeos to livestock auctions and an indoor trade show. This year, people from all 50 states and 32 countries were on-site for the National Western Stock Show.
“It’s amazing to see,” Andrews said. “Internationally, that’s on track for what we’ve seen in the past, but I can’t recall the last time people from all 50 states were here.”
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, the last evening of the 16-day event, Andrews said more than $835,000 worth of art had been sold at the Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale, and the Junior Livestock Auction had seen $1.374 million in profit, the second-largest of all time.
Most of the money generated from the auction goes directly to the young people who raised the animals, but the receives 10% of the funds, which goes toward scholarships for students at colleges in Colorado and Wyoming.
Currently, the trust funds 120 students currently in college, Andrews said.
“Given the weather that we’ve had, this event has far exceeded everyone’s expectations,” Andrews said. “We’ll continue to tweak the stock show and add more events and entertainers, but we’ll keep the tradition alive that people come back for year after year.”
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