June 15, 2019-October 26, 2019
6:00 PM-10:00 PM
Saturday Night Lights is a Grand Prix equestrian event featuring food, fun, live music, and the highest level of competitive show jumping at Tryon International Equestrian Center on select Saturday evenings throughout the year. Bring the whole family: admission, parking and carousel rides are all free! The activities start at 6:00pm with the competition to follow at 8:00pm.
If you’ve never been to a horse show before, we recommend visiting our Horse Show 101 page to learn more about the competition you’ll be watching!
Saturday Night Lights events run during our spring, summer and fall horse shows. For a list of upcoming dates, please click here.
When should I come?
The family activities begin at 6:00pm, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy them all before the competition starts at 8:00pm. Our on-site restaurants are open during Saturday Night Lights, so make an evening of it and plan for dinner as well! Vendors will be open for your perusal along Vendor Row, concessions will be readily available along with all your favorite beverages.
What sort of activities are there?
Every week there will be face-painting, performers, free rides on the venetian carousel and a live band – there is fun in store for guests of all ages! Before the competition, you can catch a glimpse of riders warming up for the Grand Prix, and throughout the evening we’ll have dance contests, the kiss cam, and t-shirt tosses. In the past there have been fire twirlers, acrobats, magicians, mechanical bull riding, sand-castle building, shag dancing competitions, vintage car shows and craft beer festivals. Check out our Facebook page to see what fun we’re planning for the next one!
What’s available to eat?
We have a number of delicious on-site restaurants ready for you to enjoy on Saturday Night, whether you’re in the mood for casual fare or fine dining—to see their listings and menus, click here. We even have a wood-fired pizza oven out during the show, as well as a barbecue, frozen yogurt, cotton candy and other treats!
For an elevated experience, reserve your seat or table in the Legends Club and dine ringside with a buffet and full bar included. Or, reserve a four-person high-top table on the front row at the new Tryon Terrace! Click here to learn more about Legends Club or Tryon Terrace tables.
What stores are open?
A number of the equestrian show vendors in the cabins adjacent to the main ring are open during Saturday Night Lights, offering clothing, jewelry and much more.
What kind of competition is it?
Saturday Night Lights features a Grand Prix show jumping event where expert riders from all over the world guide horses around a course and over jumps almost 5 feet high, which is nearly the same level as at the Olympics! Riders that make it around the course successfully will return for the jump-off, a high stakes shortened course that determines who wins first place and the largest share of the prize money— sometimes over $100,000! For more information about show jumping, visit our Horse Show 101 page.
Where do I sit?
All stadium seating is first-come first-served, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house! Also, The Legends Club offers a reserved VIP table with great views of the ring and an elegant dining experience for members. For more information, click here.
What if it rains?
All our events are rain or shine —some of the most exciting jumping competition is in the rain! We only cancel or postpone a competition if the weather is severe to the point of risking the safety of horses or humans. We will post on Facebook if there are last minute cancellations, postponements, or other changes.
For a Saturday Night Lights highlight video, click here. This is one of our favorite events to host at Tryon. We hope to see you under the lights soon!
Location: 4066 Pea Ridge Rd. Mill Spring, NC 28756
Contact: Kathryn McMahon
