DODGE CITY, Kan. – For several years, a transition has been in place at Roundup Arena.

Major enhancements have happened, from bettering the electrical to adding aluminum bleachers to an upgraded entryway with a spiffier ticket booth. Every step of the process is done with the audience in mind.

That includes a new food court, which will be up and running in time for this year’s Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 30-Sunday, Aug. 3, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 29.

“In essence, we’re restructuring our food-vendor area and making it into a dedicated food court,” said Steve Deges, president of the volunteer committee that organizes the annual event. “We’ll have picnic tables in the middle for dining purposes.”

The food court will be set up on the north end of the Roundup complex – just north of the Women’s Chamber concession stand – and will feature food options in a “U” shape. This will group all food vendors in one place, and it will include a picnic area. The construction will not only help improve the looks of the facility but will also help with the flow and functionality of the ticket-buyers’ experience. 

“We’ve always had food vendors scattered throughout the grandstands side of the arena, and that was causing some issues,” Deges said. “We had two vendors situated near the beer garden, which just made for more congestion. That didn’t help with the family-friendly experience we want to provide, and it often created some struggles for some of the vendors.

“Our new food court will give our vendors more opportunities because they will be centralized in one location. We’ll have a big-screen TV installed and sponsors signage, so anyone in the food court won’t have to miss any of the action.”

  Much of the enhancements began years ago. Organizers began replacing wooden planks with aluminum bleachers in 2021, and those upgrades continued. In 2023, the new gateway/ticket booth were added, and the Women’s Chamber booth was updated.

“We really want to make it where our guests really feel like they belong,” Deges said. “With the new food court, we want to ease some of the congestion in those high-traffic area while also utilizing spaces that were probably underutilized. Some of our non-food vendors will move to the south end.”

Through each step of this process, Roundup is also opening the door to a 20 percent increase in vendor capacity. The revamp is being partially funded by $50,000 from the Kansas Attraction Development Grant; Roundup contributed to 60 percent of the costs of the project, and each phase was done with the fans in mind.

“We’re creating a better experience for our guests overall,” Deges said. “We’re trying to do things that help with the flow of traffic and provide more for the fans to enjoy. We’ve had a great rodeo for years, and a big reason for that is the fans that come to the performances, so this is our way to make it better for everyone that comes to Roundup Rodeo.”