The 2026 National Western Stock Show Parade, led by Grand Marshal Pete Coors, will bring Denver’s agricultural heritage to life downtown.
DENVER — The 2026 National Western Stock Show Kick-Off Parade will be held Thursday to celebrate the launch of the 120th annual National Western Stock Show in Denver.
Pete Coors will serve as Grand Marshal for the parade, leading the traditional drive of cattle, horses and wagons through the streets of downtown Denver.
The parade will begin at 12 p.m. outside of Denver’s Union Station and will march 12 blocks down 17th Street to Glenarm Place.
Paradegoers, downtown workers, and passersby are invited to stop by the Stock Show Fair at McGregor Square following the parade, where attendees may enjoy McNicholas Miniatures therapy horses, western royalty, ice skating and a food market.
National Western Stock Show Kick-Off Parade
Grand Marshal
Coors is the former president and chairman of Coors Brewing Company and chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Company and MillerCoors.
Since 2016, Coors has served as chairman of the Honoring the Legacy capital campaign that’s raised $150 million to build the core facilities of the National Western’s new home at the National Western Center redevelopment.
“This parade, and the Stock Show it celebrates, showcases our state’s rich agricultural heritage and its ongoing economic and cultural importance to Colorado and the West,” Coors said. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to serve as Grand Marshal and can’t wait to welcome everybody to the new Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center and The Legacy during the Stock Show.”
“The Stock Show parade is an iconic event that brings the agricultural and Western heritage into the urban core of one of the West’s great cities,” said National Western Stock Show President and CEO Wes Allison. “We couldn’t be more excited to have Pete Coors, whose contributions to the West and the National Western have been immeasurable, leading this year’s parade.”
2026 National Western Stock Show
The 120th National Western Stock Show opens Saturday, Jan. 10, and continues through Sunday, Jan. 25, at the National Western Complex and Denver Coliseum at Interstate 70 and Brighton Boulevard.
A tradition since 1906, the part-rodeo, part-livestock show and part-fair brings hundreds of thousands of people to Colorado each January for a celebration of our state’s agricultural heritage.
The National Western Stock Show will host nearly 30 rodeo performances, including Colorado vs. the World rodeos, Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza, PBR Bull Riding and MLK Jr. African American Heritage Rodeo. There are also horse shows, reining shows and family events, including Xtreme Dog shows and Wild West shows.
The National Western has one of the world’s richest regular-season professional rodeos, one of the country’s largest horse shows and Colorado’s largest agricultural trade show. The Stock Show welcomes attendees from all 50 states and 30 countries and will drive an estimated $171 million in economic impact to the Denver area each year, organizers said.
Hosting over 25 breeds of cattle, bison, yaks and longhorns, the Cille and Ron Williams Yards and the HW Hutchison Family Stockyards Event Center are the epicenter for the 2026 Super Bowl of livestock shows.
Tickets and a full schedule of events can be found at NationalWestern.com.
9NEWS is a corporate partner of the National Western Stock Show.
