Petrack Park Serves as Pahrump's Hub for Sports, Events, and Community Life

The Pahrump Community Pool, tucked inside Petrack Park's 34.7 acres on Highway 160, charges 50 cents for a general admission swim. That number tells you something about how this park operates: mostly free, occasionally modest in cost, but with a handful of rules and deadlines that catch first-timers off guard every season. Whether you're planning a youth league doubleheader, a Saturday at the Fall Festival, or a casual afternoon on the playground, what you pay, and what you need to arrange in advance, depends almost entirely on how you intend to use it.

What's Free and What Costs Money

Walking into Petrack Park at 150 N Highway 160 costs nothing. The same is true for the Pahrump Chili Cook-Off, the Fall Festival, and any other outdoor community gathering staged on the park grounds. Admission to those events is free, though the Fall Festival rodeo at McCullough Arena carries its own ticket price: $12 per night during presale windows and $15 at the gate.

The pool is the most affordable pay-to-use feature on site. General admission runs 50 cents per person. If your family swims regularly through the season, a family pass at $35 or a single-person pass at $20 makes more financial sense. Swim lessons, structured across three consecutive two-week sessions running through June and July, cost $30 for the first enrolled child and $20 for each additional child in the same household.

Sports field use is where costs step up. The Town of Pahrump charges $25 per month, per field, for any organized league reserving the lit softball fields or turf areas on a recurring basis. A $300 security deposit is also required, along with proof of liability insurance naming the Town of Pahrump as an additionally insured party. Families using open turf for informal play are not subject to those fees, but any competitive or organized use triggers the formal field allocation process through the Buildings & Grounds Department.

What Changed in Early 2026

The most consequential update for anyone using the park this year: as of February 9, 2026, all Town of Pahrump parks, including Petrack, Ian Deutch Memorial, Simkins, Blosser, and Kellogg, now close nightly at 10 p.m. This standardized curfew was established in Town Ordinance 75 and reflects a Nye County Board of County Commissioners vote reaffirming the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. closure following sustained public safety debate. If your event, league game, or evening family visit is still running at 9:45 p.m., start planning your exit.

The 2026 Event Calendar

The Chili Cook-Off Festival ran March 20 through 22 as the first major outdoor event of the year. Looking at the rest of 2026, these are the dates to save:

• Pahrump Fall Festival: Thursday, Sept. 24 (5 to 10 p.m.), Friday, Sept. 25 (noon to midnight), Saturday, Sept. 26 (noon to midnight), Sunday, Sept. 27 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at Petrack Park. General festival admission is free.

• Fall Festival Rodeo: Friday and Saturday nights, Sept. 25 and 26, at McCullough Arena, adjacent to Petrack Park. Gates open at 6 p.m., with the show starting at 7 p.m. both nights. Presale tickets are $12 per night; general admission at the gate runs $15.

• Vendor applications for the rodeo close August 14, 2026. Rodeo arena vendor spaces are limited and assigned on a strict first-come, first-served basis. The full application package, including fees and permit requirements, is available through the town.

• Junior High and High School Rodeo: Held annually at McCullough Arena, this event draws student competitors from across Nevada and is free for spectators.

Rodeo competitor entries open via Saddlebook in late summer; watch the town's newsflash page for the specific registration window and contact information for specialty events like Mini Bulls.

The Facilities at a Glance

Petrack Park's 21 developed acres hold two lit softball fields, a 300-by-210-foot multi-purpose turf field, two lit tennis courts, a lit basketball court, and six lit horseshoe pits. Two permanent concession stands serve events, and both large and small playground structures are spread across the property. Restrooms, shaded picnic tables, and water access are available throughout the park.

The Bob Ruud Community Center anchors the complex and is reservable for private or community events. The community pool is a six-lane, 25-yard outdoor facility open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. A wading pool serves children under 6, with the requirement that a parent or guardian be in the water within arm's reach at all times.

The McCullough Memorial Rodeo Arena, which seats approximately 1,500, sits at the edge of the Pahrump Fairgrounds adjacent to the park. The fairgrounds complex is designed for large multi-use events and is subject to ongoing investment: additional sports fields and an OHV track are planned as the site grows to support both youth and adult recreation programs.

The Five Gotchas Regulars Already Know

• Field allocations fill up months in advance. Youth leagues lock in the lit softball fields through the $25/month/field allocation system well before a season opens. Call the Buildings & Grounds Department early. Showing up without a reservation during league season means the fields are already spoken for.

• Pool swim lesson sign-ups are in-person only, on two specific days. There is no phone registration. Miss the in-person window in early June and you miss that session's classes entirely. Spaces are limited and fill the same day registration opens.

• The 10 p.m. closure is firm. This changed in February 2026. Any private event or gathering needs to be done and cleared before that cutoff. Check with the town if your permitted event runs close to the hour; there is no informal grace period.

• Parking during major events requires a real plan. The Fall Festival and rodeo funnel large volumes of vehicles along the Highway 160 corridor. Nye County Sheriff's Department Auxiliary volunteers direct traffic near the Bob Ruud Community Center and the adjacent fire station. Plan to park and walk, and wear shoes suitable for grass.

• Dogs are welcome on leash, but off-leash areas are not a designated amenity. Bring waste bags. Leashed dogs have accompanied owners through festival crowds at Petrack for years, but keeping your dog leashed and cleaned up after is non-negotiable.

Making a Reservation

Field and facility reservations are handled by the Buildings & Grounds Department. The Tourism Office at 400 N. Highway 160 also processes reservation forms and can answer event calendar questions. Pool reservations for private events are available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays after regular swim hours. Large events, such as those staged at the fairgrounds, typically require a County Outdoor Festival License; the application packet is available through the town's Parks and Recreation page. Residents concerned about noise, traffic, or water use connected to major events can monitor county and town meeting agendas, where fairgrounds-related items and permit notices appear in advance.

Why This Park Matters

Petrack Park is the closest thing Pahrump has to a civic downtown. The fairgrounds investment is partly strategic: keeping the Fall Festival, the rodeo, and other regional draws in Nye County rather than losing them to Las Vegas or neighboring counties keeps visitor spending local. For a community without a concentrated commercial core, every dollar captured by Pahrump's lodging and businesses during a four-day September festival is a measurable return on the town's decades of investment in 150 N Highway 160. The 2026 calendar, anchored by a four-day Fall Festival in late September and a two-night rodeo inside a 1,500-seat arena, is the clearest argument for why that investment has been worth it.