The PBR World Finals will be in Arlington for the second year in a row after two years at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
The details
This year’s finals will be May 17-18, while Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo will be May 16. This year, Cole Hauser’s Ultimate Tailgate Party will also be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The event will feature live music performances and special VIP guests, according to PBR. Hauser is known for his role as Rip in the TV series "Yellowstone."
The annual event is projected to provide an estimated $28 million economic impact in Tarrant County, according to previous reporting.
The specifics
PBR moved the World Finals from Las Vegas to Fort Worth in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a return to Las Vegas in 2021, the organization moved the World Finals to Texas in 2022. The PBR headquarters moved from Pueblo, Colorado, to Fort Worth in August 2024.
During the 2024 PBR World Finals, there were 14,606 fans at the performances inside Cowtown Coliseum. During the first-ever Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, 25,478 fans went to AT&T Stadium. During the two nights of PBR World Finals at AT&T Stadium, there were 44,762 attendees, according to PBR officials.
Community Impact interviewed PBR CEO Sean Gleason ahead of the events this week, which include elimination rounds Wednesday and Thursday at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth.
Answers have been edited for length, style and clarity.
What does this time of the year mean for you guys to have the biggest event start?
It's really what we work all year to celebrate; the path that these bull riders are on through a long and winding season that takes us from coast to coast, and a lot of bull rides and a lot of competition along the way and this is really the celebration that you get to see all of that unfold.
It's truly for me, I'm still just such a huge fan of the sport of bull riding, that the stories that unfold get me excited. This year is probably one of the best we've ever had in terms of the tightness of the competition.
What is it like to have part of the world finals at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth?
Those are my favorite performances, the ones that we do here in Cowtown. That building was the site of the very first indoor rodeo, is the site of the very first PBR event. We've had the good fortune of managing the building and helping to bring traffic here to the city of Fort Worth and to the Stockyards for many years.
To have the opportunity to put our premier world championship events in there, for me, it's my favorite performances of the year. Size-wise, compared to AT&T Stadium, it is kind of different. I mean, it’s got a couple thousand in Cowtown and you can get 10 times that much in AT&T Stadium.
Do the riders like Cowtown Coliseum for just how unique it is?
There's just a little aura, you know, history, that if you go and look at that building, literally every great bull rider in history rode in that building at some point in time. I don’t think that’s lost on the riders of today.
While it's a very small and unique building, significantly smaller than a lot of places that we typically would hold the World Finals, we compensate for that by moving over to AT&T, one of the biggest buildings in the country and have a great couple of days to crown our world champion.
What does it mean to kind of have this event in two parts of Tarrant County to share this economic boom?
It's been a great partnership, both with Mayor [Mattie] Parker here in Fort Worth, as well as Mayor [Jim] Ross in Arlington. There's a friendly competition, you can feel it a lot, for attracting sports properties and businesses to each of the different communities. Having the opportunity to work with both cities and both administrations is great for us. It's a great experience that allows us to really broaden the relationships we have in the DFW area.
This year’s PBR World Finals will have Cole Hauser and Kid Rock as part of it. What does that mean?
It's a testament to all the years of hard work that have been put into getting the PBR to grow and become a cultural force, from Madison Square Garden to Crypto.com Arena in L.A. and all points across the country. It's attracted relationships and partnerships with great people like Kid Rock and Cole Houser. They're not only helping us to open the PBR product to more people who really don't know and understand points rodeo or the western lifestyle in general. They're huge fans of the sport and we love having them out.
What can people expect when they come out?
What makes PBR so successful is that we always fulfill the promise of delivering the best bull riders against the best bull athletes on the planet. And when you do that, magic happens. It's just a very exciting sports experience.
Our trademark has been to wrap that experience in a world-class contemporary entertainment experience for the fans today and and that's what they're going to get ... exciting sports and great entertainment. It's not just the best bull riding in the world or Kid Rock. It's fan zones, tailgate parties and it's a true festival experience for families, for younger folks that are out looking to have a good time. It's really an event that appeals to all ages. You can bring your kids, or you can come out with your girlfriend and have a great time, regardless of where you are in life.
It's a full-service event experience for pretty much any fan that can appreciate the best rides or best bull riders and the best bulls in the world and we'll entertain them all day long.
