World’s Largest High School Rodeo Event Returns to Lincoln

A Rodeo Unlike Any Other Brings Entertainment and Economic Impact to Nebraska

Cort Jones remembers the sting he felt in defeat at his first high school finals rodeo. On a team of five cowboys, his job was to rope the steer’s back legs. Jones’ horse stumbled when he made the attempt, and he missed his shot. “In team roping, five minds have to come together,” he said. “Everything has to go just right.”

Following that setback, Jones went on to win the All-Around Cowboy title the next two years, accomplishing a rare feat. When he arrives in Lincoln this July, Jones will be competing for a third consecutive championship at the Sandhills Global Event Center (SGEC).

More than 100,000 attendees are expected to descend on Lincoln to witness the largest high school rodeo event in the world. The National High School Finals (NHSF) Rodeo, taking place July 19-25, will include more than 1,800 rodeo contestants from across the U.S. and five other countries – Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Australia, and New Zealand – displaying their unique equestrian skills.

“This rodeo is unlike any other rodeo,” Jones said. “At other rodeos, you’ll see probably 10-12 people [competing] per event. At the high school finals, they have two arenas set up side by side and you’re watching 20-25 competitors in each event. It’s thrilling.”

An event with millions of dollars in community impact

The National High School Finals Rodeo has familiar rodeo events like bull riding, barrel racing, and team roping. On top of that, it features many other activities for contestants and attendees. These include a rodeo queen contest, evening dances, a volleyball tournament, a triathlon, a career fair, a Western trade show, and more. The trade show is free to visit and will feature vendors selling all kinds of Western gear.

The event also significantly impacts the economy in and around Lincoln. When Lincoln last hosted the event in 2021, it had a $17 million economic impact on the community, said Ron Bohaty, Managing Director at SGEC.

“We had 1,673 contestants in 2021. This year we should have over 2,000. We’re putting up over 2,280 horse stalls, and they are all spoken for already. We have 1,306 campsites. They’re [reserved]. And we’re adding another 200-250 dry camping onsite,” he explained. In addition, event hosts are working with surrounding campgrounds and locations to provide more campsites for attendees.

Trekking to Lincoln to win again

Senior Hadley Thompson is another athlete traveling to Lincoln for the rodeo. She is making the trip from her home in Wyoming to defend her 2025 title of All-Around Cowgirl.

Thompson learned early on not to back down from a challenge. As a seven-year-old, she was scheduled to compete in her first rodeo challenge, but a broken arm made it likely she would be sidelined. Instead, she raced in the barrel challenge with her right arm in a cast by steering with her left hand and holding tightly to the saddle horn with her right.

In 2024, she qualified for her first NHSF Rodeo as a sophomore. She made a statement with three second-place finishes – in breakaway roping, goat tying, and all-around cowgirl. But even such a stellar debut did not satisfy her competitive spirit. “I told everyone, ‘I’m winning first in all three of those next year,’” she said. And at the 2025 NHSF Rodeo she did exactly that.

Now entering her senior year, Thompson is looking to defend her championships. “There are quite a few aspects in rodeo that you can’t control – the stock you draw, the ground conditions, whatever it may be,” she said. “So I’ll do my job and at that point, whatever happens, happens.”

Don your cowboy hat and enjoy the show

While the rodeo contestants compete in the arenas, many people forget how much preparation goes into hosting such a large event. The Sandhills Global Event Center has gone through multiple on-site improvements. These include the expansion of its office space to include conference rooms, updating the HVAC equipment, adding more camping and parking locations, improving the horse stalls, updating and replacing the underground sewer piping and pumps, and much more.

Many of these upgrades received partial funding through two grants supplied by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED): a $5 million American Rescue Plan Act grant and a $5 million Shovel-Ready grant.

“A lot of money was poured into the facility to update the campgrounds, to build the grandstands, and to update some of the buildings and the parking lot,” explained Bohaty. “We’ve made significant investments and rolled up our sleeves to be ‘rodeo ready’ for the National High School Finals Rodeo. Being the host city for both 2026 and 2027 is an honor and a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

With these improvements, the location is well-prepared to host the event and deliver a major boost to the local economy. When fans and contestants arrive at the 78th National High School Finals Rodeo in Lincoln, they will don their cowboy hats, cheer for their favorite rodeo stars, and enjoy the excitement – no matter who wins.

Purchase tickets to the event and learn more.