Fort Worth Prepares to Host Bull Riding's Richest, Most Prestigious Event

Bull riding’s most prestigious event is expected to draw about 70,000 people to Fort Worth over the next 10 days.

For the first time, Fort Worth is hosting the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals after its nearly 30-year run in Las Vegas. The event begins Friday at Dickies Arena.

Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, said the projected economic impact to Fort Worth is about $30 million.

“This is really a monumental deal that we were able to pull together,” Sands said. “When it’s all said and done, we’ve got one of the most epic events in the western world here in Fort Worth.”

For the first time, @PBR will hold its World Finals in @CityofFortWorth.

It begins tomorrow and considered the most prestigious event in bull riding.

70,000 visitors over the next 10 days, according to @BobJamesonFW

Background: https://t.co/U9hTalO9eX @NBCDFW @NBCDFWSports pic.twitter.com/3Ea0yi50W7

— Lili Zheng (@LiliNBC5) May 12, 2022

The PBR World Finals is considered the richest bull riding event in the world. It features a more than $2.7 million purse, including a $1 million bonus to the PBR World Champion.

Friday marks the beginning of a busy week and a half for the arena, Dickies Arena general manager Matt Homan said. The first three rounds of the 2022 PBR World Finals will be held Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 15.

On Sunday night, the arena staff will begin to prepare for the arrival of Paul McCartney. The musician is scheduled to perform at the arena on Tuesday, May 17 before the final rounds of the PBR World Finals are held Thursday, May 19 through Saturday, May 21.

“It’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be a lot of hours, but our team has been planning for this for months. We’re ready for the challenge, and we’re excited for the challenge,” Homan said. “This is what we’re built for, right? We’re built to do multi-events. Do them overnight, change over and get back into the event.”

Taco Heads, located across the street from the arena, is owned by Fort Worth native Sarah Castillo. She and her staff are getting ready for the big crowds, as well.

“We get a ton of traffic. We have to figure it out. We can’t seat everyone. We have a tiny kitchen, small bar, so we make due,” Castillo said. “We overstaff, for one, which is great. We obviously reconfigure our parking lot. So, we have a party in the parking lot, which is so much fun.”

PBR first announced its plans to move the World Finals to Fort Worth in August 2021.