DENVER — The 2026 National Western Stock Show wrapped on Sunday, but not without achieving an all-time best.
With a total of 750,039 in attendance, this year's stock show smashed the former attendance record of 726,972 set in 2006.
On Monday, crews began dismantling the indoor city where neighbors got to know one another at the trade show.
You know it’s a big city when one information booth directs you to another information booth.
And that's exactly what you'll find inside the National Western Stock Show's Trade Show.
There is, of course, stock at the stock show, but there’s also much more—clothing, restaurants, furniture, you name it. The trade show resembles an indoor-outdoor city.
John Ellis manages it all.
"People come for a lot of different reasons. Rodeo is number one. Livestock is number two, and the number three reason is the trade show", Ellis said.
Today, that city turns into a ghost town, but for 16 days it was a neighborhood of small businesses.
Half of the 250 vendors came from Colorado. Taxidermist Ben Trumblee came from Iowa.
"This is my first year here", Trumblee said. "It took a couple of years to get here, but I'm having the time of my life".
"Trade show people know each other; it's a family environment," Ellis said. "They get to know their neighbor in the next booth."
The trade show town is moving on, but they’ll all be back on January 9 next year.
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