the mommy avenger

The Monster Jam World Finals at Rice-Eccles Stadium was an unforgettable spectacle that left our whole family buzzing, and if you have never taken your kids to one, friends, this is the post that is going to convince you to change that.

Get There Early — The Pit Party Is Half the Magic

Here is the thing nobody tells you before your first Monster Jam: the show does not start when the trucks fire up in the arena. It starts hours before that, out in the Pit Party, and if you skip it, you are genuinely missing half the experience.

We arrived early and it was such a blast. The kids got photos in front of all their favorite monster trucks, met a bunch of the Monster Jam staff, and even built their own little monster truck toy to take home. Every single ticket gets you access to this pre-event party, so there is no reason to show up right as the doors open — I highly recommend you get there early and take full advantage of it.

Then the Lights Come Up, and the Whole Stadium Changes

From the second the trucks came to life in the arena, the whole atmosphere was electric. We were there for the Friday night lineup, which included racing and freestyle, and our kids absolutely love the bright lights, the pyrotechnics, and the noise — the kind of noise you feel in your chest before you even hear it. We had an absolute blast, and we all agreed, without a single bit of hesitation, that it was the best Monster Jam event we have ever been to.

The truck battles and racing events delivered non-stop action that kept everyone cheering from start to finish. Even during intermission, our family could not stop smiling and talking over each other about the highlights we had just watched. That is always the sign of a good show for us — when the in-between moments are just as full of chatter as the show itself.

An Ending We Genuinely Did Not See Coming

To cap off an epic night, Monster Jam set up an unreal stunt in honor of Lupe Soza, the original driver of El Toro Loco, being inducted into the Monster Jam Hall of Fame. Armando Castro, the current driver of El Toro Loco, jumped over five other El Toro Loco trucks. Five. It was insane.

My older son turned to me, completely wide-eyed, and said that was the coolest thing he has ever seen at Monster Jam. When your kid ranks a single moment against every Monster Jam show you have ever taken him to and it wins outright, you know it was something special.

Bittersweet, But Unforgettable

This was the last year the World Finals will be held here in Utah, and I will admit that stings a little as a Salt Lake City family who has loved having this event practically in our backyard. We are already planning our trip to Indiana to catch the Finals in 2027, because once your kids have experienced this, there is no version of skipping it. But even knowing it was our last SLC finals, Monster Jam did not let up for a second — they made this final Rice-Eccles show a spectacle we will never forget.

Why Your Family Needs to Experience This

If you are on the fence about Monster Jam World Finals, here is what I want you to know before you buy tickets:

• The Pit Party is included with every ticket. Get there early, meet the drivers, get autographs, take photos with the trucks, and let the kids run around the festival-style fan zone before the show even begins.
• It’s a multi-day event. World Finals runs Thursday through Saturday, with racing qualifiers, the JCB Last Chance Qualifier, Freestyle Mania FMX, and the Lucas Oil High Jump Championship all building toward the main event.
• Friday and Saturday nights are the big show, with JCB Racing brackets, BKT Freestyle competitions, Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and World Finals-exclusive encore stunts you will not see anywhere else all year.
• It’s genuinely a for-everyone event. My toddler was mesmerized by the lights and noise, my older son was analyzing racing strategy, and my husband and I were just as loud as both of them by the end of the night.
• Every ticket holder age two and up needs their own seat, so plan accordingly when you’re budgeting for the family.

Rice-Eccles Stadium made the perfect backdrop for all of it, and honestly, watching 28 competing monster trucks tear through a stadium lit up for America’s birthday weekend is about as good as family entertainment gets.

Even though we’re sad the Monster Jam World Finals won’t be in Salt Lake City anymore, they absolutely made this final show one for the books. Thank you, Monster Jam, for such a fun night — Indiana, we will see you in 2027.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own.*}