Second Cheyenne Frontier Days Grand Parade Tuesday Morning

The second of four Cheyenne Frontier Days Grand Parades is scheduled for downtown Cheyenne at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The Cheyenne Police Department has posted information on the parade route and associated closures:

How It All Started

The first CFD "parades" were mostly wild and woolly gallops through town by rowdy cowboys on wild broncos rather than the organized, well-planned processions enjoyed by modern spectators (according to the Cheyenne Frontier Days website).

The cowboys often used windows for target practice and introduced themselves to pretty girls by lassoing them. The only early exceptions were a parade in 1898 honoring Buffalo Bill and a 1910 event for President Theodore Roosevelt.

But, in 1925 a pageant around the theme of 'The Evolution of Transportation'' was organized. The following year, the first ever parade featuring floats that would last was launched, according to the website.

The parades have continued to grow and evolve along with CFD itself. alternating with the Pancake Breakfasts as free events on mornings other than Sunday mornings. The parades are held on Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday and again on the final Saturday.

The parades typically center around western themes, with floats featuring Native Americans, politicians on horseback, Cheyenne and Wyoming history and similar exhibitions.

Other common elements include marching bands and military groups.

Cheyenne has a long association with the military, starting with Fort D.A. Russell, which was an army cavalry outpost that was founded in 1867 to protect workers on the Union Pacific Railroad. That same location is today home to F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

For 2026, more Grand Parades are slated for Thursday and Saturday morning along the same route