General News
2 April, 2025
Entry for a pineapple: Rodeo keeps ticket pricing promise
Ticket prices for this year's Mount Isa Mines Rodeo have been cut in half.
A “pineapple” will get you into any of the three days at this year’s Mount Isa Mines Rodeo after the board cut ticket prices in half for the 2025 event.
New chairman Mark “Tommo” Thompson said the $50 tickets kept a promise that he’d made when stepping into the role.
“We want it to be as cheap as it possibly can be, while ensuring that we have enough money to keep going each year,” he said.
Tickets were $99 for an adult to get into the rodeo last year, which led to small crowds.
Tommo said the cheaper entry, plus reduced ticket prices, would help Mount Isa families return to the Buchanan Park grandstands.
“We’re still working out all the food and drinks prices but we want it to be an affordable weekend,” he told North West Weekly.
The rodeo is also returning to a more familiar schedule in 2025, with the event to be staged on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of August 8 to 10.
The main finals will be staged on the Sunday afternoon, while the Indigenous Rodeo Championships will be held on Sunday morning.
Tommo said the rodeo board had secured Luke Geiger and his band to do the entertainment on the Friday and Saturday nights.
“It’ll still be a big show like it has always been,” he said.
“It’s probably a lot bigger than people realise. Even with us cutting back everywhere on costs, it’s still going to cost more than $1 million to run it. I mean (the last board) spent $3 million, which is ridiculous, but it’s a big event so there’s a lot of expenditure.”
Tommo said having one entertainer perform both days and reducing the number of marquees were helping to cut costs.
Having the support of the Mount Isa community was another driver of the rodeo, he said, pointing to the recent sponsorship of the council, which last week committed more than $100,000 to the event.
Mount Isa City Council voted to provide $66,000 in cash donations to be a presenting partner.
The council will also provide the hire of Buchanan Park at no cost, at a value of $35,000, as well as cover electricity and waste removal fees.
“We’ve had a lot of interest locally so it’s been it’s been great to have the council support,” Tommo said.
“Most of the previous rodeo sponsors have come back on board so we’ve got a lot of support.
“Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of people sour on the old show but they’re not unhappy with us as far as I can tell.
“The hardest thing for us is that we don’t even know who all the creditors are, we only know the ones that have come forward.
“We’re starting from scratch but if there are people (who were burnt by the former rodeo board) they can come forward and we’ll see if we can work with them.”
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, April 3. You can get the tickets HERE.
MOUNT ISA MINES RODEO 2025 TICKET PRICES
Adults: $50 per day
Pensioner: $35
Children (8-17): $20
Children (0-7): FREE
Family pass (two adults and three children): $120
Three-day adult pass: $120
Three-day pensioner pass: $90
Three-day family pass: $300
CAMPING PRICES
Three-day unpowered site: $200
Five-day unpowered site: $300
Five-day powered site: $350
