LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s not Noah’s Ark, but it’s close. Over 30,000 animals and their owners from around the globe will move into the Kentucky Exposition Center as they compete in the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) for nearly $750,000 in premiums and awards.
Last year the event drew competitors, exhibitors and attendees from 45 states and nine foreign countries, with an economic impact of $10.5 million.
NAILE is the largest all-breed, purebred livestock expo in the world and runs Oct. 30-Nov. 15, 2018. The expo features 10 divisions of livestock competition including dairy cattle, beef cattle, dairy goat, meat goat, swine, sheep, llama, alpaca, draft horse, and quarter horse.
Kentucky Venues has produced the event since 1974.
NAILE offers a variety of experiences for livestock enthusiasts and those new to the exposition world:
• The North American Quarter Horse Show
• The North American Marketplace
• The Sale of Champions
• The North American Championship Rodeo
• Livestreaming of select events
The North American Quarter Horse Show returns to Broadbent Arena Oct. 30-Nov. 7, 2018.
The quadruple-judged, quadruple-point North American Quarter Horse Show features more than 200 classes of events over its nine-day run. The show attracts upwards of 1,000 entries, with $75,000 of prize money at stake.
Competition classes include cutting, reining, halter, team penning, Western pleasure, tie-down roping, pole bending and barrel racing.
The show is sanctioned by the American Quarter Horse Association, the National Cutting Horse Association and the National Reining Horse Association.
The Quarter Horse Show is free and open to the public. Parking is $10 daily. NAILE admission is required Nov. 2-5: $6 per person and free for children 12 and under.
Each year shoppers look forward to the North American Marketplace, which takes place exclusively during NAILE.
The North American Marketplace features more than 200,000 s.f. of exhibit space and 200 vendors offering clothing, belt buckles, sweets, cowboy hats, arts and crafts, books, musical instruments, handcrafted furniture and jewelry.
“Cowgirl chic” boutiques with the latest trends in western-style clothing and accessories round out the shopping experience.
All the latest products related to showing livestock are also available, including specialized vehicle trailers for transporting animals and various livestock gear. In addition to the shopping, the Children’s Barnyard provides opportunities for guests to interact with rabbits, mini-horses, lambs, newly-hatched ducklings and other baby animals.
The marketplace is located in the North Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center and is open daily Nov. 3-15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Extended hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. run Nov. 9-10.
North American Marketplace shoppers and expo visitors receive free admission and parking Nov. 6-7. All other days, admission to NAILE is $6 per person and free for children 12 and under. Parking is $10 daily.
The Sale of Champions celebrates accomplished young exhibitors who have raised award-winning market animals and serves as the capstone event of NAILE. This year’s Sale of Champions will take place on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Freedom Hall.
Ten percent of sales are donated to charitable organizations. The remaining 90 percent of the proceeds are split, with 10 percent going to promote the expo and 80 percent being divided amongst the young exhibitors. More than $1.75 million has been raised through the auction to promote youth involvement in agribusiness and fund charitable endeavors.
The North American Championship Rodeo will take place in Freedom Hall Nov. 8-10. From barrel racing to bull riding, cowboys and cowgirls compete for the coveted first-place finish and cash prizes. Friday, Nov. 9 is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night” with a portion of ticket sales going to Horses and Hope, a breast cancer awareness organization.
Guests can buy tickets online at https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/834727?tm_link=tm_header_search.
Interested guests can experience NAILE anywhere with livestream on select events free of charge. Footage will be broadcast by Walton Webcasting from four locations throughout the Kentucky Exposition Center and include both judged competitions and sales.
Followers can log on via desktops, laptops, phones, tablets and other mobile devices to view live coverage of sheep, swine, and beef and dairy cattle shows. The broadcast schedule and livestream coverage will be posted on the NAILE website at www.livestockexpo.org/livestream.html. Archived footage from past years is also available for viewing.
Event passes for the entire expo are $25 for admission and $25 for parking.
For more information, including a schedule of events, visit www.livestockexpo.org.
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