Parking also looks different for the 2025 season.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A Southern Colorado tradition, embracing our western roots, finally begins its 5-day run on Tuesday. The 84th Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo is hosting the NFR Open all week, Saturday being the last day.

“Tonight we honor the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Missile Defense Agency, which is a real treat to have them here in our hometown,” Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo President, Kevin Kaveney, exclaimed. “Our athletes are unmatched with their grit and determination. We have a million dollars of prize money this year, so you’re going to get the best athletes that have been buying to get to this rodeo. They do well here, and they got a good shot at making it to the national finals in Vegas.”

Proceeds from the rodeo go towards local military members and their families.

“We promote Western heritage with a rodeo,” Board Vice President Laurie Carroll explained. “What an awesome way to do that. It’s a professional sport. Learn more about the Western way of life. The second part of our mission is to support the local military and their families. We have a lot of veterans on the board and a lot of veterans who volunteer... It just helps us tell the military how much we appreciate them. Every one of our performances is dedicated to a local command here, so you’ll hear that every night.”

This year, the rodeo is doing something extra special for our country’s forces and attendees.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Kaveney said. “We have flybys for every show, so we’ve really tried to bring the entertainment to every single show. If you make it on Tuesday night, you get live music and a flyby. Then we’ve got a closing ceremony. I’ll just say it’s quite zippy.”

Parking also looks different for the 2025 season.

“This year, we’re doing all prepaid parking on site,” Carroll told 11 News. “Go to our website... buy your tickets if you haven’t already done so, make sure you add parking to your cart before you check out. There is a cash lot, but we expect it might fill up pretty quickly. Another alternative, parking downtown at the garage at Tejon and Costilla. Parking there is free, the shuttles free, and the air-conditioned ride to beat the traffic.”