Riverton City Seeks Contractor for 2027 Town Days Rodeo

RIVERTON — Riverton City is seeking a contractor to produce the 2027 Town Days rodeo, scheduled for June 24, 25 and 26, 2027, under a request for quotation the city released on Oct. 15 1.

Quotations are due by Oct. 28, 2026, and questions go to Craig Calvert at ccalvert@rivertoncity.com, according to an account of the solicitation published by Utah.News, which states it drew the item from the city's own public documents 1. Riverton's purchasing office publishes its open solicitations, addendum rules and submission requirements on the city's purchasing pages 2.

The city will score proposals on three factors: the proposed fee, weighted 40 percent; the contractor's experience, also 40 percent; and the proposed approach, 20 percent 1. Vendors may submit no more than 12 single-sided pages of qualifications, excluding resumes, and must state their years in business, the experience of the personnel assigned to the event, and the livestock they would supply — including the number of animals in each event — along with how they secure event participants and their understanding of the event 1.

The scope is detailed. The contractor supplies bareback horses, saddle bronc horses, bulls, calves, steer wrestling cattle and team roping cattle, and the personnel to work them: pick-up men, bullfighters, a secretary, timers, judges, an announcer and a funnyman 1. It also supplies equipment for the timed events, including an electronic eye, plus chute help, a chute boss and stripping help, and must carry liability insurance for the rodeo 1.

The city's side of the arrangement is catalogued in the same document: EMTs, the facilities, a sound and announcing system, water troughs, livestock feed, barrels for the barrel racing, an office, advertising and ticket takers at the manned entry gates 1. The agreement would run one year, with up to four one-year renewals or extensions at the city's discretion, and the award is subject to the city's purchasing ordinance and to evaluation of the proposals against those three criteria 1.

The rodeo is where Town Days begins each year, opening the run of events that includes the parade, movie in the park, carnival, chuckwagon breakfast, children's contests and fireworks 3. The city's own numbers from this year's celebration show the scale of what the contract covers. At the Aug. 4, 2026 council meeting, Events and Operations Director Sheril Garn reported that Town Days drew about 39,000 attendees across 21 events and 12 entertainment groups, with roughly $66,500 in sponsorships, an additional $20,500 secured through elected officials, and $125,514 in rodeo revenue. More than 2,100 people attended the breakfast and 1,002 participated in the Independence Day races, according to the meeting minutes 4.

Those same minutes record the operational constraints staff and council discussed for 2027, which sit alongside the new contract: modifying traffic closures, including closing portions of 1300 West and 12600 South, running one-way traffic and providing access for nearby residents; the effect on golf course and pool access; and a park that staff described as near capacity, with concerns about expanding the event or adding larger-name performers 4.

The solicitation terms summarized in that account set no fee range and no estimated contract value, and the city's published solicitation list carries descriptions and opening and closing dates without dollar estimates 12. Riverton's procurement rules distinguish the two instruments the city uses: a request for quotation like this one may be returned electronically, while an invitation for bid cannot, and must arrive in a sealed envelope referencing the bid number 2. Any change to the solicitation is issued as an addendum, and bidders are responsible for obtaining it 2.

What happens next: quotations close Oct. 28, 2026. The city evaluates the proposals on fee, experience and approach, awards under its purchasing ordinance, and the winning contractor would then produce three nights of rodeo at the end of June 2027, with the city holding options for up to four further one-year terms 1.

Sources: 1 Utah.News, "Riverton City Seeks Contractor for 2027 Town Days Rodeo," Oct. 21, 2026, reporting on Riverton City's request for quotation released Oct. 15, 2026 — https://utah.news/article/cf8b82d8-e58d-4b25-ac48-fdd1cf3668d8 2 Riverton City, Current Solicitations (addendum and submission rules) — https://www.rivertonutah.gov/purchasing/solicitations.php 3 Riverton City, Riverton Town Days — https://www.rivertonutah.gov/towndays/index.php 4 Riverton City, City Council Meeting Minutes, Aug. 4, 2026 (Town Days debrief; 2027 traffic discussion) — https://www.utah.gov/pmn/files/1483161.pdf