Helldorado Days (Las Vegas)


Helldorado Days is an annual festival in Las Vegas, Nevada that hosts a rodeo, parade, and carnival that began in 1934. The rodeo is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event. The event is organized and conducted by the Las Vegas chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks as a fund raiser for local charities.

History

Begun in 1934 by Clyde Zerby, the event was held annually until 1998 when it was suspended. It was resumed in 2005 for the City of Las Vegas' centennial celebration. The festival was originally created to draw people into Las Vegas as the workers who had been building Hoover Dam began leaving because the dam was nearing completion.
Events like the parade and rodeo were not parts of the original festival but were added in later years. The first parade was in 1935, and the naming of a Helldorado Queen began in 1936, with the first rodeo arriving in 1944.