The FEI World Cup™ Finals are returning to Las Vegas and the newly renovated Thomas & Mack Center in 2020. The world’s best show jumping and dressage horses and riders will return to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” on April 15-19, 2020 for thrilling equestrian competition at a world-class facility that is now ideal for one of the sport’s premier showcases.
The FEI World Cup™ Finals feature the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final and are the biggest annual individual championships for horses and riders in both Olympic disciplines. The world’s top competitors, including Olympic and World champions, come from all over the globe to compete for the prestigious title of FEI World Cup™ Champion. This will mark the seventh time that Las Vegas will host the FEI World Cup™ Finals following 2000 and 2003 when it hosted the Jumping Finals, and 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2015 when it hosted both the Jumping and Dressage Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Not the same old Thomas & Mack!
The Thomas & Mack Center underwent a two-year overhaul with $75 million of renovations and improvements. Upgrades include enhanced stabling for the horses, new arena seats, new entrances and escalators, upgraded concessions and restrooms, new floors, additional ADA seating, and improvements to the sound system to name a few.
The most notable addition is a brand new 36,000 square-foot, two-story VIP space, the Strip View Pavilion, within which will be the event’s VIP Hospitality Center — The Taylor Harris Club presented by Lugano Diamonds. It features a magnificent event space and an outdoor patio overlooking the stabling area with spectacular views of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The Taylor Harris Club presented by Lugano Diamonds will be open to all VIP ticket holders.
“We are thrilled that the FEI World Cup™ Finals are coming back to the Thomas & Mack Center,” said Pat Christenson, President of Las Vegas Events, Inc., producer of the Finals. “The competitors, sponsors, vendors and spectators are going to be delighted with the amazing transformation of the facility and we can’t wait to welcome the world back to Las Vegas.”
The FEI World Cup™ Finals 2020 were allocated to Las Vegas by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) in November 2016, at which time it was announced that the event would be hosted at a new venue, the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Due to unforeseen complications with scheduling at the new venue, and with the improvements to the Thomas & Mack Center, the prestigious event is now returning to Thomas & Mack much to the delight of organizers and officials, as the previous Finals held there were highly successful.
Started in 1979, the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final is an annual international showdown among the world’s best show jumping horses and riders. In the 40 Finals held through 2018, the United States has emerged with the most titles (11) with Germany (10) in second. U.S. riders have won the last two Longines titles — McLain Ward in 2017 and Beezie Madden in 2018. Previous FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals held in the United States include Baltimore (1980), Tampa (1989), Del Mar, CA (1992), Las Vegas (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015) and Omaha (2017).
The FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final was first held in 1986 and features the world’s best dressage horses and riders. A total of 33 Finals have been held through 2018, and the United States has won the championship twice — in 2003 (Debbie McDonald with Brentina) and 2009 (Steffen Peters with Ravel). The Final has been held in the U.S. six times previously — in Los Angeles (1995), Las Vegas (2005, 2007, 2009, 2015) and Omaha (2017).
Ticket information for the 2020 FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas will be announced later this year. Fans are encouraged to visit the event’s official website at www.WorldCupLasVegas.com and sign up for breaking news and information.
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