Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Joe Downtown: Helldorado Days heralds Vegas’ Wild West past

Scenes from the Helldorado Parade

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

An entry sponsored by the R.O.S.E. Foundation makes its way down 4th Street Saturday during the annual Helldorado Parade.

Scenes from the Helldorado Parade

New friends Mikayla Benitez (L) and Eden Fuller play with a bubble gun Saturday during the annual Helldorado Parade. Launch slideshow »

Helldorado Days Parade

The Helldorado Days Parade makes its way down Fourth Street in Las Vegas Saturday, May 14, 2011. Launch slideshow »

Computer chips easily outnumber cowboys in Downtown Las Vegas, especially as startup founders and coders find sanctuary around East Fremont Street, soon to be the backyard of dot-com retailer Zappos.

Zappos aside, Las Vegas’ persona remains firmly grounded in the Wild West myth, and downtown’s Helldorado Days, a multiday celebration of the the West’s rugged reputation, fits right in.

Entering its 79th year, the party begins Thursday, May 16, on several lots between Las Vegas Boulevard and Seventh Street north of Stewart Avenue. A carnival at 5 p.m. kicks off the event with a 7 p.m. start to the Helldorado Rodeo.

Another rodeo Friday, May 17, a parade and rodeo Saturday, May 18, and rodeo Sunday, May 19, are among the planned events.

For a complete schedule of events and ticket prices, go to the Helldorado Days website.

Joe Schoenmann doesn’t just cover downtown, he lives and works there. Schoenmann is Greenspun Media Group’s embedded downtown journalist, working from an office in the Emergency Arts building.

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