NFR 2026 Schedule: Dec. 3-12 in Las Vegas, 5:45 p.m. PT Start Times and How to Watch

The 2026 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) runs Thursday, Dec. 3, to Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, and every one of the ten performances starts at 5:45 p.m. local time, according to The Official NFR Experience. Las Vegas is on Pacific Time (PT) in December, so by our conversion the start is 6:45 p.m. Mountain Time (MT), 7:45 p.m. Central Time (CT) and 8:45 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The grid below adds each night’s theme and opening act.

NFR 2026 schedule: all ten performances by time zone

The performance times page lists ten performances with a 5:45 p.m. start and no time zone. We read that as local time at the Las Vegas venue, which is PT (UTC-8 in December). The other columns are our conversion. The opening acts come from the NFR Experience announcement of Nov. 4, 2026.

Date	Round and night	Opening performance	Las Vegas (PT)	MT	CT	ET
Thu., Dec. 3	First Performance	Vegas Night / Celebrating America 250	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 4	Second Performance	Ned LeDoux	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 5	Third Performance, Golden Night, featuring the Golden Circle of Champions	Chancey Williams	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 6	Fourth Performance, Memorial Night	Anne Martinez	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Mon., Dec. 7	Fifth Performance, Pink Night	Shea Fisher-Durfey	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 8	Sixth Performance, Resistol Rookie Night	Blue Man Group	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 9	Seventh Performance, Military Night	Military Night	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Thu., Dec. 10	Eighth Performance, Canadian Night	Supaman	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 11	Ninth Performance, Legacy Night	Presley Barker	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 12	Tenth Performance, Wrangler National Patriot Night	Gold Night	5:45 p.m.	6:45 p.m.	7:45 p.m.	8:45 p.m.

In the United Kingdom, the 5:45 p.m. PT start is 1:45 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) the next day, by our conversion. The nightly themes are from the performance times page; the Nov. 4 announcement lists “Military Night” for Dec. 9 and “Gold Night” for Dec. 12 as the opening performances.

What time does the NFR start each night?

At 5:45 p.m. in Las Vegas on all ten nights. For East Coast viewers that is 8:45 p.m. ET, and for the Central and Mountain time zones 7:45 p.m. CT and 6:45 p.m. MT. The page gives no end time, so this story does not state one.

Are the NFR 2026 dates Dec. 3-12 or Dec. 4-13?

Dec. 3-12 is 2026. The NFR Experience’s news post of Nov. 4, 2026, says the rodeo “is scheduled for Dec. 3-12 at the Thomas & Mack Center,” and Las Vegas Events also shows Dec. 3-12, 2026. Dec. 4-13 was the 2025 schedule: the NFR Experience said on Oct. 22, 2025, that the rodeo was “scheduled for Dec. 4-13.” Pages that have not been updated still show those dates.

How to watch the NFR on TV and streaming in 2026

Cowboy+ says it is “the exclusive streaming home of the National Finals Rodeo” and that fans can watch all 10 nights live from Las Vegas. The same page says the rodeo “will also be broadcast live on Cowboy Channel” and tells viewers to check with their television provider for channel availability. Cowboy+ has not posted an air-time schedule or a price on that page, so neither is listed here.

Who qualified for the 2026 NFR?

The NFR Experience said on Oct. 22, 2026, that the Top 15 contestants in each event are set. They compete for a world championship Dec. 3-12 in Las Vegas.

Is there anything else at the NFR besides the rodeo?

The NFR Experience lists Cowboy Christmas for Dec. 3-12, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Halls, with free admission.

Where to buy NFR 2026 tickets

TicketNews reported in August 2026 that AXS is the exclusive ticket partner for the Wrangler NFR, with general on-sale on Aug. 13 at noon PT. Prices are not covered here.

Free NFR 2026 schedule to print

Our printable lists the ten performances with Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern start times and space for notes on each round. Mark the dates on your December 2026 printable calendar or your printable weekly calendar. Another Las Vegas date that month: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 335 start time on Dec. 12. For the city’s earlier big event, see the Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026 race time.